A műanyag mint műtárgyalkotó inhibitív konzerválási lehetőségei

Plastics as works of art. Possibilities of inhibitive conservation The conservation of plastics is the youngest branch of the scientific field of conservation. The topic ‘plastic conservation’ appeared abroad as early as the 1960s, but it remained a topic limited exclusively to the problems associated with modern paintings for about two decades. The conservation of artworks incorporating plastics only became the subject of symposia, workshops, and conferences at the end of the 1980s and has been part of university education since 1998, mostly embedded in specializations usually called modern and contemporary art conservation. Despite its novelty, the conservation of plastics is a rapidly developing field; however, one that is still severely neglected in Hungary, although artefacts made of or containing are part of the collections of Hungarian museums and art galleries. Artificial polymers can be found in historical and technical works of art and thematic collections (ethnographic and household items, clothing, or toys). Is it widely believed that plastic objects do not need particular care because they look relatively young. But that is not true; compared with traditional materials, plastics degrade more rapidly. The conservation of artificial polymers has either been avoided or overlooked due to ignorance thus far; recognising them as a type of material present in artefacts requires a shift of approach from Hungarian museology and, in broader sense, the entire society. The moment plastic artefacts are recognized as representations of human intention and ability, and are considered cultural heritage, the need to artificially extend their relatively short lifespan becomes apparent. The author has been actively researching plastics since 2021, continuing the work within the frame of a doctoral programme by the Doctoral School of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. This paper is a brief summary of her dissertation, the result of in-depth research of foreign literature about the preventive conservation of artefacts made of plastic.