Hear from Francesca Esmay, Alfred Flechtheim Director of Engagement, Conservation and Collections Care at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, on how conservation in this context requires a departure from the traditional modes of engagement with the artwork.

Part of what complicates the care and preservation of contemporary art is that objects may exist in ways that are variable rather than fixed. Further, these artworks may be subject to changing conditions of medium and fabrication or the challenge of obsolescence. They are also often subject to the influence of fabricators enlisted to produce objects in collaboration with an artist. In light of these and many other factors, works from this period can exist—and be shown or collected over time—in multiple forms.