Description:
The picture cycle in question was designed for a “Kunsttempel” (“Temple of Fine Arts”), a building dedicated to appreciation of the arts and religious contemplation, erected from 1925–1929 on the brink of the national park “Lüneburger Heide” by the artists Johann and Jutta Bossard. The submitted conservation work was dedicated to the socalled “Second Temple Cycle” (1928), covering its walls with plywood panels painted in tempera and oil by Johann Bossard. The “Second Temple Cycle” had been severely damaged shortly after its completion by dampness welling up in the walls of the building and had for this reason been taken down by the artists in 1943. The aim of the conservation work was to level and to reglue the various layers of veneering, to straighten deformed panels, to stop the microbiological infection, to remove the remnants of microorganisms, to stabilize the paint layers and to reduce blanching. A mandatory requirement for the long-term efficacy of the restoration was the previous remediation of the thermal state of the building. As a result, the “Temple of Fine Arts” can today be appreciated as originally designed by the artists, with the interior decoration that is best suited for its structure.