10 March 2004

Detecting forgeries with chemistry

Photo opportunity 7pm, Wednesday 10 March, Tower Extension Lecture Theatre, Tower Building, University of Dundee.

Can chemistry help in unraveling great art scandals, discovering Masterpieces and detecting forgeries? These are the issues that Dr Aviva Burnstock from The Courtauld Institute in London will address tonight (Wednesday 10 March) at the University of Dundee in a public lecture.

Dr Burnstock, who is currently researching fading pigmentations in Vincent van Gogh's paintings will talk about the application of techniques to study the materials and techniques of paintings to help in the discovery of masterpieces and detection of forgeries. Dr Burnstock will focus on the interpretation of data generated using non-invasive techniques such as X-radiography, infrared reflectography, as well as chemical investigation of paint samples. The talk will focus on selected case studies of paintings where technical study influenced their attribution as a "Masterpiece" or "Forgery".

Aviva Burnstock is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Conservation and Technology at the Courtauld Institute of Art. From 1986-1992 she worked in the Scientific Department of the National Gallery, London after a year as a paintings conservator in Australia with the Regional Galleries Association of New South Wales. Her first degree is in Neurobiology (BSc. University of Sussex 1981). She was awarded the first Joop Los Fellowship at the Institute for Molecular Physics (AMOLF /FOM) Amsterdam in 2003, and is a Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation (IIC).

Organised jointly with the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Tayside Local Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry the lecture is in the Tower Extension Lecture Theatre at 7pm, is free, and is open to the public.

By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910, out of hours: 07968298585, j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk