Louis Damen retires

Retirement Louis Damen

After 40 years of service as a paper conservator Louis Damen has
retired from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the
Netherlands.

In the 1970's he shaped and professionalized the conservation
department inside the museum to more modern standards. In the many
years he spent in this profession he looked up with loving care to
the museum superlative collection of the prints and drawings. Many
important conservation projects were started and completed under his
supervision. To mention a few: the conservation of the Fra'
Bartolomeo drawings, the conservation of the Italian, French and
Flemish drawings collections.

He is always been a very generous man who shares his knowledge and
experience with others, through teaching and showing by example. He
gave lessons in various institutions: at the Centraal Laboratorium
(the former ICN) in Amsterdam and at the IFROA in Paris and welcomed
at the conservation department in Rotterdam legions of trainees.
Several generation of paper conservators have started their careers
through an inspiring and valuable internship in Rotterdam.

Louis has been deeply involved with problems concerning iron gall
ink degradation. The conservation department of the Museum Boijmans
Van Beuningen gave its contribution to this area of research through
a conference that was held in Rotterdam in 1997 and being a member
of the European MIP (metal in paper) network. Being a sculptor
himself, Louis recognized also the need to assist artists in their
work. He always held the doors open for artists who came along
asking advice and tips.

Since a few months Louis handed on the baton to his colleagues and
he will now profit from the joys of a Burgundian life.

Monica Marchesi


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:26
                 Distributed: Sunday, November 2, 2008
                       Message Id: cdl-22-26-001
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