A remarkable conservation project at the University of Pretoria (UP) is providing not only the restoration of a significant artwork but also valuable insights into the institution’s academic offerings and collaborative spirit.
The peeling and cracked oil painting, Harlequins Homage to Guernica, by acclaimed South African artist Christo Coetzee, has necessitated an in-depth assessment that has engaged both students and experts from around the globe.
The painting, completed in 1987, has an illustrious backstory of its own. Donated to UP by Coetzee, who also bequeathed his entire home and art collection to the university, the work pays homage to Picasso’s iconic Guernica, with its five clown-like figures and a spectral black dog—an evocative representation of the trauma and chaos of human conflict.
As part of the restoration efforts, UP Museums has employed a professional painting conservator, but the real innovation lies in the university's unique two-year master's programme in Heritage Conservation. This course, the only one of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, is situated in the historic home of late sculptor Anton van Wouw, which stands as a national monument. The program, falling under the School of Arts within UP’s Faculty of Humanities, merges academic rigor with practical conservation skills.
Recently, staff and students undertook a comprehensive two-week assessment of Coetzee’s artwork in collaboration with conservation scientists from the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage at Yale University in the United States.
Project coordinator Maggi Loubser expresses enthusiasm, stating, “I don’t think I’ve had so much fun in years. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Indeed, the presence of Yale scientists on campus to work with students on a tangible art project is an extraordinary event that has left an indelible mark on the university community.
Utilising cutting-edge techniques, the project team engaged in technical analyses using sophisticated multimillion-rand equipment. Techniques included x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared technical photography, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.
Such advanced methodologies allowed the visiting experts, Dr Anikó Bezur and Dr Marcie Wiggins, to lead a detailed examination of the painting while mounted on the wall in the Bridge Gallery at the Javett Art Centre, a departure from traditional conservation settings that usually require flat surfaces.
Both Bezur and Loubser have collaborated extensively, with Loubser bringing a wealth of experience from her previous roles in analytical chemistry and industry. “I bought into the dream to formalise conservation as a career in Africa, not just South Africa,” she asserts. Her commitment, paired with Bezur’s support, reflects a broader ambition to cultivate a truly African approach to heritage conservation.
Further emphasising the course's significance, Dr Isabelle McGinn, who developed the curriculum with funding from the Mellon Foundation, highlights the essential aim of understanding the deterioration processes affecting the artwork. “We want to understand both the materials and the environmental factors at play that contribute to decay,” she explains.
While the Tangible Heritage team finalises its report, the iconic painting has been temporarily removed from public view and taken to UP Museums, where conservator Sandra Markgraaf will begin the restoration work in the new year.
The Heritage Conservation master’s programme, despite being a mere six years old, has already begun to make waves in the professional realm. Its graduates have found positions across numerous prestigious institutions, both domestically and internationally. “If it isn’t taken care of, we’ll lose very important information and stories, especially minority stories,” says student Sadhana Moodley, underlining the course’s purpose and the wider role of conservation in safeguarding collective history.