Dispersion Paints and Varnishes in Norwegian Modernist Art: Influences on Artistic Expression and Conservation Challenges
This PhD research project dissertation investigates the impact of synthetic waterborne paints and varnishes on Norwegian modernist art from the 1950s onward, examining their influence on artistic expression and the challenges they pose for conservation. Nine previously unexamined paintings from the Nasjonalmuseet collection form the foundation of the research. These include works by Gunnar S. Gundersen, Tor Hoff, Anna-Eva Bergman, Dag Skedsmo, Anders Kjær, Per Kleiva and Jørgen Dobloug.
Material Histories
Through a historical review of synthetic resin development, focusing on the emergence and availability of acrylic and vinyl dispersion products in the Norwegian art supply market, the thesis explores how these industrial developments influenced artists’ practices, aesthetic and material choices, and varnishing habits. Archival research alongside technical analysis enabled comparison between original recipes and samples from paintings to tentatively confirm the use of certain brands. Supported by art-historical and socio-historic investigations, the research reconstructs the material histories of modernist paintings and their surface finishes, reaching a hermeneutic understanding of how dispersion paints and varnishes were integrated into artistic practice and how varnishing affected visual expression.
Artist Intent vs Unwanted Visual Change
Nine paintings from the Nasjonalmuseet collection are the point of departure for the research. Analytical methods, including imaging and non-invasive techniques as well as targeted micro-sampling, are used to characterise synthetic acrylic and PVA varnishes and document typical degradation phenomena, such as yellowing, imbibed dirt, grey and patchy appearances. These material changes are particularly detrimental to the bright, flat colour fields typical of Norwegian modernism and raise ethical questions about whether and how to remove degraded varnishes. Conservators must continually navigate the tension between preserving original materials, respecting artists’ intent, including deliberate use of varnish, and mitigating unwanted visual change caused by ageing coatings. This tension is explored in detail with specific reference to the collection paintings.
Collaboration with a mobile laboratory
The project received scientific support from the mobile laboratory MOLAB, which is financed by the EU-funded IPERION HS programme. Nine scientists visited the National Museum in the summer of 2023 and carried out non-invasive scientific analysis of the case-study paintings using six different analytical instruments. The results of these analyses will be used to select materials for artificially aged mock-up test paintings in order to test the removability of the varnishes in a safe way. New cleaning methods, such as nanogels, nanostructured fluids, and PVA-Borax gels, will be tested and evaluated.
Reflections
The findings contribute to both art historical and conservation scholarship demonstrating that the understanding of historical development of dispersion paints and varnishes, their market availability and their role in artistic decision-making is essential for devising ethically grounded conservation strategies for modernist works. The thesis ultimately advocates for collaboration between conservators, art historians, scientists and, where possible, living artists, so that modernist works can be preserved in ways that balance original finishes with the realities of material degradation.
Research institutions
The research is fully funded by the National Museum and is carried out in affiliation with the University of Oslo. The research will be presented at relevant international conferences, as well as through peer-reviewed articles and publications. A unique feature of this research is the ongoing, open dialogue with living artists about their material choices and use of varnishes.
Project supervisors
- Professor Noëlle Streeton, University of Oslo
- Senior conservation scientist Bronwyn Ormsby, Tate, London
- Professor Gunnar Heydenreich, Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences
Further reading
- Laura Homer et. al., “Non-invasive characterisation of varnished modern paintings: comparative insights and conservation implications”, Journal of Cultural Heritage, Volume 77, 2026, Pages 127-139
- The chapter “Varnishing of acrylic paintings by artists” by Mark Golden in the book "Conservation of Easel Paintings" (2021), edited by Joyce Hill Stoner and Rebecca Rushfield, published by Routledge.
- Bronwyn Ormsby et. al., “An evaluation of artists’ and conservation varnishes for acrylic emulsion paint films”, published as a postprint for the ICOM Committee for Conservation 16th Triennial Conference in Lisbon, 2011