EMILY MACDONALD-KORTH

CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE

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Longevity Art Preservation LLC, Los Angeles then Miami, September 2013 - Current

President and Chief Conservator-Scientist

• Leader in a current multi-organization Basquiat and Warhol technical research project

• Hired to analyze paintings by masters such as de Kooning, Basquiat, Dalí, and Picasso toward authentication

• Carried out large-scale built heritage analysis projects on works by Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, and at Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami Marine Stadium, NPS sites, and for the City of Coral Gables among others

• Conservation of works by Victor Vasarely, Frida Kahlo, Murillo, Damien Hirst, and more

• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Affiliated Consultant; collaborations with conservators across the country

• Featured art science specialist on the BBC television program Fake or Fortune, major media coverage and interviews, presented about the company’s work at several professional meetings

• Analysis of Sam Francis paintings, results included in Sam Francis: The Artist’s Materials (Zebala and Burchett-Lere, Getty Publications, 2019)

• Major discovery of previously unknown Basquiat technique: colorless UV-fluorescent drawing

 

Association for Preservation Technology, Miami, FL, November 2019

Instructor, Technical Committee on Materials workshop, “How to use materials analysis to inform the preservation design process”

• Two-day workshop for professionals at conference location and on-site at historic Shoreland Arcade, Miami

• Participated in curriculum development and authored lecture material focused on testing methods

 

Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, Wilmington, DE, August 2018

Instructor, Introduction to Polarized Light Microscopy

• Two-day training for graduate art conservation students at Winterthur research labs

• Responsible for curriculum development, lecture material, instruction, and hands-on microscopy training

 

Art Preservation Index®, Miami, FL, July 2014 - Current

Creator and Founder

• The Art Preservation Index® (APIx), an art-data startup, is the stability rating system for fine art. A patent-pending invention, APIx is the first of its kind and was designed to standardize the measurement of stability risks of blue-chip paintings and other types of artwork that may deteriorate over time. Created APIx Mobile App and APIx Database. Finalist in two start-up competitions and recognized by Miami Herald Top 20 Under 40 Award.

• Patent Number USPTO 20160019554, Standard System and Method for Assigning Ratings to Art Materials and Works of Art Based on the Projected Stability of the Constituents, July 2022.

• Selected Press: Wall Street Journal/Barron's; Worth Magazine; Miami Herald 20 Under 40; Reuters; FINalternatives; LA Business Journal; more press

 

The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, CA, September 2011 – May 2014

Associate Project Specialist, Field Projects Department (renamed Buildings and Sites)

• Conservation of and research into Roman wall paintings at the archaeological site of Herculaneum, David Alfaro Siqueiros’s monumental mural, America Tropical, and the historic Eames House. Managed large-scale projects and multi-level teams. Coauthored 3 publications, and presented new research at 3 professional conferences.

• Herculaneum Project: Casa del Bicentenario; graphic documentation, treatment testing, scientific analysis, and dissemination; assisted with graduate intern management

• Conservation of David Alfaro Siqueiros, America Tropical, 1932: graphic documentation, treatment testing, treatment, reporting, and dissemination; assisted with team management. Winner of the LA Conservancy Preservation Award 2013.  Voted one of ten "Best Art Museum Exhibits of 2012" by the LA Times. Watch Videos   Selected Press: LA Times (Muchnic) - LA Times (Knight) - LA Times (Best of)

• Eames House Conservation Project: in-situ paint analysis of exterior metal finishes; paint excavation, optical microscopy, reporting, and dissemination - Download

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The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, CA, September 2010 – September 2011

Getty Graduate Internship Fellow, Science Department, Modern and Contemporary Art Material Research

• Full fellowship at the foremost conservation research institution and the largest arts institution in the world. Hired directly out of the fellowship into the Getty Conservation Institute.

• Conservation of and research into Roman wall paintings at the archaeological site of Herculaneum, paintings by Jack Youngerman and Clyfford Still, and the large-scale Anti-Graffiti Coatings Project experiment

• Authored the primary publication on anti-graffiti coatings research and gave 4 professional presentations

• Herculaneum Project: Casa del Bicentenario: condition mapping of Tablinum murals

• Anti-Graffiti Coatings Project: research and experimentation on coatings for outdoor murals

• Treatment of Jack Youngerman, Red-Vermillion, 1961

• Clyfford Still, Materials and Techniques: cross-sectional optical microscopy and ESEM of paint samples

 

Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, China, Summer 2010

Conservation Intern and team leader under the supervision of Dr. Susan Buck

• Collaboration with the Palace Museum, Forbidden City, Beijing, and Tsinghua University, Fengguo Temple, Yixian County, China; Scientific research of 12th-century Buddhist murals

• First person to adapt architecture mapping software, Metigo Map, for use on wall paintings

• Received grants to take Metigo Map to China to train professors, students, and conservators in the field

• Authored primary publication on graphic documentation methods for conservation; presented work at 8 professional conferences and symposia - Download publication

 

Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, Wilmington, DE, 2008 - 2010

Graduate Fellow, Paintings Conservation

• Conservation treatment and analysis of paintings by Alice Neel, Felrath Hines, and Adolf Luben; and murals by Willard Borow and Taber Sears

• First ever from the school to win the prestigious Getty Graduate Fellowship in the Getty Conservation Institute.

 

Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, Wilmington, DE, 2010

Teacher’s Assistant, Conservation and Analysis of Paintings, Instructor Joyce Hill Stoner

• Instructed undergraduate students in conservation of paintings and cross-sectional optical microscopy

 

Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts, Denver, CO, 2009

Paintings Conservation Intern

• Conservation treatment of murals by George Fort Gibbs at the Philbrook Museum, Tulsa, OK; Architectural paint excavation at the Pioneer Historical Society, CO; Conservation treatment of Marcus Akinlana’s Mile High and Rising, and Leo Tanguma’s The Children of the World Dream in Peace and In Peace and Harmony with Nature

 

National Museum of American Illustration, Newport, RI, 2008

Paintings Conservation Technician; Treatment of James Wall Finn’s Tiffany Treillage Loggia Murals, 1901

 

The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, 2008

Paintings Conservation Intern; Treatment of 19th-century European frames

 

John Canning Conservation, Washington D.C., 2008

Paintings Conservation Technician; Treatment of decorative wall painting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Vice Presidential Ceremonial Office

 

Barbara Ventresco and Wendy Samet, Philadelphia, PA, 2008

Paintings Conservation Technician; Treatment of Al Held mural

 

Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, Wilmington, DE, 2007- 2008

Paintings Conservation Intern; Treatment of 18th-century Charles Willson Peale Portrait of William Paca, 1772

 

Judith Eisenberg Textile Conservation, New York, NY, 2006 - 2007

Volunteer Intern, then Textile Conservation Technician; Treatment of General Bouregard’s Civil War Saddle, objects from the Jewish Museum and the Rubin Museum, and the AIDS Memorial Quilts

 

The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, 2007

Art Handler in Conservation Department; Art handling of the Renoir collection and works by Matisse and Picasso

 

The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, 2007

Paintings Conservation Intern; Treatment of paintings by Bierstadt, Regnault, and Roussel

 

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 2007

Volunteer Conservation Intern; Deinstallation of the Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion

 

St. John the Divine Textile Conservation Lab, New York, NY, 2006-2007

Volunteer Intern, Textile conservation; Treatment of tapestries

 

RESEARCH  

                                                                                                                                                                 

Anti-graffiti coatings, 2010 - 2013, 2021 - present

Materials and techniques of 17th-century European paintings, 2019 - present

Materials and techniques of modern masters, 2015 – present

Forensic analysis of fine art, 2015 - present

Technical imaging of paintings, 2015 - present

Rating system for fine art based on longevity and stability of materials, 2014 - present

Graphic documentation methods for art conservation, 2009 – present

Analysis of architectural finishes, 2009 - present

Art material spectral library for mobile infrared analysis, 2015 - 2017

Materials and techniques of Roman wall paintings, 2011 - 2013

History of exterior metal finishes on the Eames House, 2012 - 2013

Murals in America, 1893 to present, 2010

Materials and techniques of Chinese wall paintings, 2010

Materials and techniques of Spanish Colonial paintings, 2010

16th-century European paneled strainer construction, specifically El Greco strainers, 2009

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PUBLICATIONS                                                                                                                                  

 

Patents:

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MacDonald-Korth, E. and James Korth. 2016. Standard System and Method for Assigning Ratings to Art Materials and Works of Art Based on the Projected Stability of the Constituents. United States Patent and Trade Office; patent number 20160019554.

 

Book Chapters:

 

Phenix, A., Wendy Lindsey, Rachel Rivenc, and Emily MacDonald-Korth. 2019. “Analysis of Paint Stratigraphies, Pigments, and Organic Binders at the Residence of the Eames House.” In Eames House Conservation Project: Investigations 2011 to 2016, edited by Laura Matarese, Chandler McCoy and Gail Ostergren. The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles. Download

 

MacDonald-Korth, E. 2019. “In-Situ Paint Investigation of the Exterior Steelwork of the Eames House Residence and Studio.” In Eames House Conservation Project: Investigations 2011 to 2016, edited by Laura Matarese, Chandler McCoy and Gail Ostergren. The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles. Download

 

Pique, F., Leslie Rainer, and Emily MacDonald-Korth. 2016. “Observations on Materials and Techniques Used in Roman Wall Paintings from the Tablinum of the House of the Bicentenary at Herculaneum.” In Beyond Iconography, Materials, Methods, and Meaning in Ancient Surface Decoration, edited by Sarah Lepinski and Susana McFadden. Selected Papers in Ancient Art and Architecture, AIA Monographs, vol. 1. Download

 

MacDonald-Korth, E., Tom Learner, and Leslie Rainer. 2015. “Research into Anti-Graffiti Coatings for Acrylic Murals: Preliminary Testing and Evaluation.” In Conservation Issues in Modern and Contemporary Murals. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne. Download

 

Articles:

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MacDonald-Korth, E. 2022. “Investigations of Historic Finishes: Finding the Earliest Extant Color and More” APT Bulletin.

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MacDonald-Korth, E. and R. Levenson. 2017. “A Colonial Portrait and a Mystery.” Painting Specialty Group Postprints, American Institute for Conservation 45th Annual Meeting. 

 

MacDonald-Korth, E. and L. Rainer. 2014. “Preserving a Legacy, Getty Conservation Institute Contribution [the conservation of America Tropical by David Alfaro Siqueiros].” Getty Research Journal. 

 

MacDonald-Korth, E. 2012. Speed, Precision, and a Lighter Load:  Metigo MAP 3.0, a Great Advancement in Condition Mapping for Large-Scale Projects. Painting Specialty Group Postprints, American Institute for Conservation 39th Annual Meeting. Download

 

Emily MacDonald-Korth and Carlos Moya: Fengguo Temple, Yixian, China. UD Daily (University of    Delaware). Coauthored by Carlos Moya. July 2010. Link to article

 

Report from Emily MacDonald-Korth, Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts, Denver. UD Daily (University of Delaware). August 2009. Link to article

 

INVITED LECTURES

                                                                                                                                               

Emily MacDonald-Korth, "How to see what’s invisible: Basquiat’s hidden inscriptions", Hidden Images, Symbols, and Inscriptions: Viewing Basquiat's Works in a New Light, 2022

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-, “Conservation Confidential” Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, 2021

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-, “Street Art: The Science of its Preservation” Association for Preservation Technology-American Association of Architects Technical Committee on Materials, 2021

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-, “Running an art conservation business: The basics” Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, 2020

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-, “The science of artwork deterioration in South Florida and how to stop it” PURE Insurance/Fortress Art Storage, 2018

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-, “Science in Art Authentication” American Association of Museums and Galleries Annual Meeting, 2018

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-, “Scientific Analysis and Conservation of Paintings and Painted Surfaces” AIC Annual Meeting, 2018; The Science of Things: Theory and Practice for Obtaining Independent Technical Results

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-, “Forensic Art Conservation: Research and Preservation of Art and Architecture” Vizcaya Museum, 2018

-, “Forensic Art Conservation” ArtTable Five-Minute Rounds, 2018

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-, “Expert Advice for Savvy Collectors: Art Acquisition and Preservation” Art Basel Chubb panel, Art Basel Miami, The Sagamore, 2017

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-, “Art Conservators Can Do Things That No One Else Can: Some Ideas of How to Use Your Superpowers”                 Winterthur/University of Delaware 40th Reunion, 2017

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-, “A Colonial Portrait and a Mystery” AIC Annual Meeting, 2017

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-, “Science in the Study of Art” Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, 2017

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-, “Historic Paint Analysis” Wiss, Janney, Elstner, 2017

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-, “Science in Art Authentication” Boca Raton Museum of Art, 2016

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-, “BBC Fake or Fortune? Portraits” BBC television, 2016

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-, “Conservators in Private Practice” AIC Annual Meeting, 2015

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-, “Art Preservation Index / APIx” University of Delaware, 2015

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-, “Art Preservation Index / APIx Business Plan Challenge Video Pitch” The Miami Herald, 2015

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-, “Miami Herald Top 20 Under 40 Award, Art Preservation Index” Miami Center for Arch. and Design, 2014

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-, “Reuters Global Market Forum Live Chat” Reuters, 2014

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-, “Mounting Paint Samples Using the Phenix Method” Getty Conservation Institute, 2014

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-, “Fifteen Shades of Grey? Color Analysis on the Eames House” AIC Annual Meeting, 2013

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-, “Observations on Materials and Techniques Used in Roman Wall Paintings from the Tablinum of the Casa del Bicentenario at Herculaneum” Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting, 2013

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-, “Research into Anti-Graffiti Coatings for Acrylic Murals: Preliminary Testing and Evaluation” Modern and Contemporary Mural Paintings, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain, 2012

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-, “Speed, Precision, and a Lighter Load:  Metigo MAP 3.0, a Great Advancement in Condition Mapping for Large-Scale Projects” American Institute for Conservation Annual Meeting, 2011

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-, “Tsinghua University/University of Delaware: Fengguosi Documentation and Research Project” Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 2011

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-, “University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation: Education on Campus and Abroad” Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 2011

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-, “New Technology for an Ancient Practice: Documentation Mapping with Metigo Map 3.0” J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Conservation Institute, Winterthur Museum, University of Delaware, the Palace Museum and Forbidden City (China), Fengguosi Temple (China), 2010-2011, 6 presentations

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-, “Authentication of Two Spanish Colonial Paintings” Winterthur Museum, 2010

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-, “Introduction to Optical Microscopy for Art Conservation,” University of Delaware, 2010, 3 lectures

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-, “Conservation Out West,” Winterthur Museum, University of Delaware, 2009, 2 lectures

 

AWARDS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS    

                                                                                                    

Art Slant Juried Showcase Winner, 2015, for microscopy-based photography

Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge, 2015, Finalist, for Art Preservation Index

University of Delaware Horn School of Entrepreneurship Startup Funding Competition, 2015, Finalist, for APIx

Miami Herald Top 20 Under 40 Emerging Leadership Award, 2014

Getty Graduate Internship Fellowship, 2010 - 2011

Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation George Stout Grant, 2011

Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation Graduate Fellowship, 2008 – 2010

Betty Fiske Award in Asian Art Preservation, 2010

Samuel Kress Foundation Grant, 2010

Society of Winterthur Fellows Professional Development Award, 2009

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SELECTED PRESS COVERAGE    

                                                             

IIC News in Conservation, interview, discussion about out-of-the-box conservation careers, 2019

IIC News in Conservation, interview, discussion about Basquiat forensic discovery, 2019

ArtNet News, interview, discussion about Basquiat forensic discovery, 2019

Smithsonian Magazine, interview, discussion about Basquiat forensic discovery, 2019

Vice, article about Basquiat forensic discovery, 2019

The Atlantic, interview, discussion of contemporary art stability issues, 2017

BBC Fake or Fortune?, featured authentication expert, 2016

Fortune, interview, commentary on new work by artist Sarah Meyohas and the art market, 2016

The Art Newspaper, interview, discussion of art markets and Art Preservation Index, 2015

ArtNet News, interview, discussion of art markets and Art Preservation Index/APIx, 2015

Smithsonian Magazine, interview, for forensic work at Herculaneum archaeological site, 2015

Miami Herald, Business Plan Challenge, 2015

Private Art Investor, interview, art world leaders give expert insights into 2015 art market, 2015

Miami Herald, interview, Top 20 Under 40, 2014

Private Art Investor, interview, discussion of art markets and Art Preservation Index/APIx, 2014

Worth Magazine, feature about Art Preservation Index/APIx, 2014

FINalternatives, interview, discussion of art markets and Art Preservation Index/APIx, 2014

Reuters, interview, discussion of art markets and Art Preservation Index/APIx, 2014

Reuters Global Market Forum, interview, discussion of art markets and Art Preservation Index, 2014

Barron’s/Wall Street Journal, interview, discussion of art markets and Art Preservation Index, 2014

LA Business Journal, feature about Art Preservation Index/APIx, 2014

LA Times, for work on Eames House paint analysis, 2013

LA Times, for work on Siqueiros America Tropical, 2013

 

INSTRUMENTATION, SOFTWARE, OTHER SKILLS  

                                                             

• Ultraviolet Illumination (UV), Infrared Reflectography (IRR), X-Radiography, Multispectral Imaging

• Digital photo documentation and processing, AIC standards

• Analytical Instrumentation, Hands-On: Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), Cross-Sectional Microscopy with Fluorochrome Staining, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), SEM in the Backscattered Electron mode (SEM-BSE), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR), Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy, Colorimetry/Spectrophotometry, Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS)

• Analytical Instrumentation: Raman Spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS, HPLC-MS)

• Basic understanding of electronics and circuit design, electrical and mechanical skills

• Hand and power tools, scaffold work, lighting, scissor lift operation, MIG welding

• Software: Adobe Creative Suite, MetigoMap, AutoCAD, MonuMap, Articheck, intro level Python and R programming, various audio and video editing programs

 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT    

                                                         

Association for Preservation Technology Annual Conference, 2019

American Institute for Conservation Annual Conference, 2010 – 2018

Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency, Princeton University for Coursera, 2017

Cleaning of Acrylic Painted Surfaces, Ringling Museum, 2016

R Programming, Johns Hopkins University for Coursera, 2016

Introduction to Python for Data Science, Microsoft for EdX, 2016

The Data Scientist’s Toolbox, Johns Hopkins University for Coursera, 2016

SUP-X, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 2016

AIA Layers of Understanding, Miami, FL, 2015

Startup City, Miami, FL, 2015

Archaeological Institute of America Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, 2013

The Siqueiros Legacy: Conserving the Artist’s Monumental Murals, Los Angeles, CA, 2012

Modern and Contemporary Mural Paintings: Technique, Conservation and Access, Valencia, Spain, 2012

Presenting Data and Information: One-Day Course by Edward Tufte, Los Angeles, CA, 2012

Eastern Analytical Symposium, Somerset, NJ, 2009

Studying Old Master Paintings - Technology and Practice, London, UK, 2009

Art Historians and Conservators in Collaboration, University of Delaware, 2007

Responsibilities in Conservation, AIC Course, 2007

 

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS and ORGANIZATIONS

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University of Delaware College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council, 2021 – Present, Council Member

Coral Gables Arts Advisory Panel, 2018 – Present, Board Member

ArtTable, 2015 - 2021, Treasurer and Mentor

American Institute for Conservation, 2006 – Present

International Institute for Conservation, 2008 – Present

Archaeological Institute of America, 2013 - 2014

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