UNFOLDING PAPER: HISTORY, MATERIALITY AND USES OF WESTERN PAPERS

WORKSHOP INTERNAZIONALE

From 21 to 24 October 2025, the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan will host the international workshop Unfolding paper: history, materiality and uses of Western papers, led by Leila Sauvage, conservator and researcher specialising in the study of paper materials.

This four-day hands-on workshop is designed for researchers, students, cataloguers, curators, and conservators wishing to deepen their understanding of Western paper as both a material and a cultural artefact. Combining lectures, demonstrations, and direct examination of paper, the program fosters close observation, interdisciplinary dialogue, and collaborative learning.

Participants will explore:

• the history of papermaking in the Western world and shared terminology for paper description;

• how production techniques leave visible traces and how to identify them;

• current tools and methods for technical and scientific paper analysis;

• the role of paper in artistic practice, focusing on how artists selected and adapted their supports for drawing.

   

Through guided exercises and group work, attendees will sharpen their observational and descriptive skills, building a plurilingual vocabulary and an integrated approach that connects material study, conservation, and scholarship.

The initiative is part of the PNRR project INTAFAM IartNET – an international platform for artistic research and cultural heritage at Italian higher arts education institutions, led by the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, Mission 4, IartNET is coordinated by Nicoletta Leonardi.

In particular, the workshop is part of the project initiatives promoted by the “Camillo Boito” School of Restoration, dedicated to the study and enhancement of the drawings of Andrea Appiani and Giuseppe Bossi. Encompassing conservation, documentation, and research, these activities aim to restore full legibility and understanding to this extraordinary graphic heritage and are carried out under the scientific supervision of Maria Chiara Palandri.

Practical Information

Dates: 21–24 October 2025, 9:30–16:30

Hosted by: Brera Academy of Fine Arts - Historical Collections

Lecturer: Leila Sauvage, conservator and researcher, is Paper Conservator and Scientist at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. A graduate of the Sorbonne, she conducts research on the conservation of pastel paintings and the technical analysis of Rembrandt’s drawings, and collaborates on projects applying artificial intelligence to the study of historical papers. Since 2021, she has been Head Lecturer of the Book and Paper Conservation training program at the University of Amsterdam.

Scientific coordinator: Maria Chiara Palandri (FIIC – Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works), Professor of Conservation and Restoration of Paper and Parchment Materials, and Coordinator of the PFP5 specialisation at the “Camillo Boito” School of Restoration, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera.

Participants: Students and collaborators of the IartNET research project.

Project PNRR IntAFAM_00066

IARTNET - an international platform for artistic research and cultural heritage at Italian higher arts education institutions 

CUP D43C24000580001