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FCG International Restoration and Conservation Award 2006: JEAN-PAUL LEDUER

  “For his work on experimentation, theory and practical tasks in artistic restoration.  In a special way, his training and the work he carried out in the restoration of contemporary art was borne in mind, especially on pieces of such outstanding artists as Picasso, Dalí, Dubuffet, Vasarely, Christo, Miró and Tapies, among others, paying particular attention to Yves Klein and Jean Fautrier. The Jury also considered his new work methods in the treatment of monochrome paintings without protection and highlighted his work with currently-used materials and means of expression. In reaching this decision, the impulse he has given to the creation of public institutions specifically for restoration work was also considered relevant, as he was the co-founder of the French Institute of Conservation.  He also supported the innovative preventive conservation, one of the newest and most-promising fields to be developed recently in art conservation. He has been a pioneer in advising public administrations, such as the Pompidou Center, on aspects related to damage-prevention and the manipulation and transport of works of art, thus allowing greater promotion and knowledge of those pieces.”, according to the jury that met in Valladolid  on  July  10,  2006,  chaired  by   Dr.  Salvador Andrés Ordax, Professor of the History of Art at the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts of the University of Valladolid, and made up by the following members: Mr. Javier Aguado Sobrino, Managing Director of the Santander Central Hispano Foundation; Dr. Miguel Cortés Arrese, Professor of the History of Art and Director of the Department of the History of Art at the University of Castilla la Mancha; Mr. Rafael Daniel Pérez, member of the Board of Directors of ABC newspaper in Castilla y León; Mr. Jorge García Gómez-Tejedor, Head of the Department of Conservation and Restoration at the Queen Sofia Art Center National Museum.

JEAN-PAUL LEDUER - Biography

Art restoration Honorary Expert before the Paris Court of Appeal and the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance member of the Society of Experts before the Paris Court of Appeal and the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance.

Born in 1933 in Belfort (France), after graduating from School of Fine Arts, and training with a restorer, I created my own studio in 1960. That same year, under the auspices of André Malraux, French Minister of Culture, my team and I undertook the restoration of the frescoes and stucs of the Palais-Royal de Fontainebleau (Primatice - Rosso - Niccolo dell'Abate).

My studies of the various techniques and approaches used throughout the centuries quite naturally led me to investigate contemporary artistic creation.

I met Jean Fautrier - although at the time I did not realize he was to change my life. My team was comprised of some 40 technicians, which allowed me both to carry on my work as a restorer in the traditional sense and meet many artists throughout the world, including Picasso, Tapies, Dubuffet, Mathieu, Arman, Jasper Johns, Klein, Fautrier, Riopelle and Vasarely. Their means of expression, the materials they used, from the most unusual to the least frequently used, called for a careful study of these new approaches that emerged during the 1950s.

These meetings between creators and "art doctor" only confirmed how essential is was for a restorer to follow a "preventive" pattern in order to ensure longevity to many works. It was at that time we were entrusted with the complete artistic restoration of the "Palais Beauharnais", the German Embassy in Paris. Then it was the French Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, and the restoration of its original decors. As early as 1968, Rotraut Klein entrusted me with the study of the work as well as the execution of all the editions that the artist - who had died suddenly - had not been able to complete. In 1995, I sold my art restoration studio.

Honorary Expert before the Paris Court of Appeal and the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance, member of the Compagnie des Experts of the Paris Court of Appeal and the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance, I dedicate myself to activities as consulting, prevention and research for the management of damages to works of art.

Miscellaneous Publications New realisations

1984: From Eluard to Fautrier

1992: The 1930s on the Banks of the Ottawa River: The story of the French Embassy in Ottawa, Canada - bilingual (french/english book).

Available form the author or at the French Embassy in Ottawa.

1999/2000: Yves Klein - Descriptive catalogue of Editions - bilingual French/English book - Editions Guy Pieters, Belgium

2000: Limited deluxe edition of the Exhaustive Catalogue of Editions and Sculptures Edited is presented in a special objet d'art slipcase designed and created by Jean-Paul Ledeur and realised in 440 exemplaries after the patent enregistered by Yves Klein and containing 45 documents.

2001: Jewel-sculpture Yves Klein Edition, realized by Stéphane Klein Editions and T.A.T Arts.