A publication of
The Illinois-Iowa Section of
The American Chemical Society
 

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Marco Leona is the David H. Koch Scientist in Charge of the Department of Scientific Research at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dr. Leona graduated with a "Laurea in Chimica" from the Universita' degli Studi di Pavia (Pavia, Italy), and obtained a PhD in Crystallography and Mineralogy from the same university in 1995.

As a scientist working in an art museum, Dr. Leona is mostly concerned with the material aspects of works of art. His role at the Metropolitan Museum is that of contributing to and enhancing art historical and art conservation research through the application of scientific techniques. The scientific examination of works of art, the identification of their constituent materials and manufacturing techniques, dating and authentication, the investigation of aging and degradation mechanisms, and the monitoring of environmental conditions in display and storage areas of the museum are the main tasks he and his staff are charged with.

Dr. Leona entered the art and cultural heritage studies field through an NEA-Mellon fellowship at the Conservation Research Laboratory of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He then joined the staff of the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, to conduct research on the techniques and materials of Japanese paintings. After a second period at LACMA, as senior conservation scientist, he moved to New York, where he now heads the newly created Department of Scientific Research of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Dr. Leona's own interests lay in the intersection of art and technology and in the elucidation of the material aspects of art production, either for the enhancement of our knowledge of past cultures, or for the preservation of their material vestiges.

His published contributions include the development of new techniques for the non-invasive analysis of works of art by reflectance spectroscopy, the study of Tibetan painting techniques and materials, Infrared and Raman spectroscopy studies of the pigments indigo and Maya blue, Surface Enhanced Raman spectroscopy analysis of natural dyes, and various other topics.

Dr Leona has been a member of the American Chemical Society since 2000.

ABSTRACT

"Art & Chemistry: Authenticity, Conservation, and History of Technology"

Chemistry plays a very important part in the operation of one of the largest art museums in the world. Virtually every aspect of collecting, exhibiting, and preserving the priceless treasures in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York benefits from the work of the chemists, material scientists, geologists, and biologist of the Museum's Department of Scientific Research. Dr Marco Leona, the chief scientist at the Met, will discuss in detail how science contributes to art conservation and art historical research. Presenting examples from his work on artists' choices in Japanese paintings and prints, on pictorial technique and theological intent in Tibetan painting, on ancient nanotechnology, and on the development of new and ultrasensitive methods for the analysis of works of art, Dr Leona will attempt to show that there's more to art than meets the eye.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Please check website for information regarding the January meeting.

NATIONAL CHEMISTRY WEEK 2006

October 22-28 was the week set aside for NCW, "Your Home-It's All Built on Chemistry." The kick-off included chemical demonstrations by Marv Lang and Donald Schowalter presented on "Paula Sands Live." Several radio broadcasts, advertising NCW, were presented on local networks during the week. Many exciting activities also took place at a variety of locations. For a full report on this Section's participation, please visit the following website: http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=ncw\ncw_index.html.

BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF LOCAL SECTION ACTIVITIES

The Office of Local Section Activities has put together a newsletter. Topics include call for papers, Regional and National meeting activities, Education programs, This Month in Chemical History, thoughts to ponder, etc. If anyone is interested in the entire newsletter from the Office of Local Section Activities, it can be accessed at http://chemistry.org/localsections/editors.html .

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