Modern and Contemporary Art (M&CA) acquisitions now comprise over 90% of all works coming into Tate’s collection, many involving new materials with lesser-known compositions. Little is known about the types and amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from these often large and complex artworks, including whether VOCs pose a risk to the artworks themselves, to artworks in close proximity or even to human health. VOCs can include organic acids, aldehydes, additives, and material degradation products generated during curing processes and over time. Within a primarily protective (closed) storage context, the build-up of VOCs may occur across a range of materials in significant quantities, warranting identification at both the analytical and practitioner levels. This increasingly urgent query will be explored through a selection of case study M&CA works from Tate’s sculpture and installation art collection. Each work will be characterised using resources and expertise at Tate and UCL-ISH, where the materials, smells and VOCs emitted within a storage context will be identified. A smaller group of higher-risk VOCs will also be quantified and smell profiles obtained to support the development of risk profiles for each work. The translation of the case study findings into guidance for the improved care of M&CA collections, including mitigating measures such as simple changes to storage housing and the use of VOC absorbing materials, will contribute directly to core preservation objectives and practice, for Tate, and other global collections.
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