The Sistine Chapel Twenty Years Later: New Breath New Light, 30th-31st October 2014, Conference Proceedings

On 30 and 31 October 2014, the international conference The Sistine Chapel Twenty Years Later: New Breath New Light was held, which not only commemorated the 450th anniversary of Michelangelo's death and twenty years since the end of the restoration of the Sistine Chapel, but also presented the new conditioning and lighting systems specially created for the protection of the Chapel's masterpieces. This volume offers a collection of the presentations given during those two memorable days by representatives of the two companies who designed the new systems in collaboration with the Vatican Museums - Carrier and Osram - and by prominent figures in the worlds of art, restoration and conservation from all over the world. It begins with a detailed look at the past, with the evocative memories of those involved in the restoration works completed in 1994. Of particular interest are the new scientific studies carried out from 2010 to 2014, with updated studies of the chemical and physical analyses in a language accessible also to those who are not experts in the sector. The sophisticated new-generation systems are central to the text, which offers a detailed description of the characteristics of the new light and the parameters for maintaining air quality. Finally, there is a glimpse of the future with the presentation of the maintenance and control systems planned for the Sistine Chapel.