LEBANON: The Beirut Blast Paintings Conservation Project
On August 4, 2020, a large cache of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded, causing at least 210 deaths, 7,500 injuries, and $15 billion in property damage, and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. In addition, early reports by UNESCO found that at least 8,000 buildings concentrated in the historic districts in the city were affected by the explosion. Prominent cultural institutions in the city, such as the Sursock Museum, the Arab Image Foundation, and the Beirut Art Center sustained severe damage and require extensive repairs to their building and collections.
SCRI’s goals and activities are closely related to those of the Blue Shield, an international organization seeking to preserve cultural heritage from armed conflicts and naturally caused disasters. SCRI director Cori Wegener founded the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield and has served on the international board. In the immediate aftermath of the August 4th explosion in the historic city center of Beirut, SCRI was contacted by Blue Shield Lebanon (BSL) for advice on crisis management and damage assessment to buildings and collections After a needs assessment with on-the-ground stakeholders, BSL requested SCRI and conservators from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) to provide training and technical assistance for handling, packing, and rehousing damaged paintings in historic houses and museums.
The training took place via Zoom during three sessions in December 2020. Led by Gwen Mathey and Amber Kerr of SAAM, the three-day on-line workshop explained the fundamentals of a painting’s materials, what kind of personal safety measures to follow in the disaster environment, and how to safely transport, wrap, and store the paintings on site. The workshop was attended by about 26 participants and since then they have worked in several of the villas, assessing, packing, and re-storing close to 400 paintings. SCRI continues to provide advice to Blue Shield as they work the local cultural community. When ground conditions allow for gatherings, an in-person training is planned.