Inspiring People: The Decant

Interesting online talk from the National Portrait Gallery outlining how they have moved over 400,000 objects out of the building for its refurbishment as part of their Inspiring People Project.

I have done smaller scale but similar projects and realise the planning needed before you even start so was fascinated to hear Ed Purvis, Head of Collection Services, talk about the stages of the project. The depth of the planning was impressive including making sure that all the pieces were in a condition to be moved back and hung so any conservation work was done at the time of moving them. They did 330 hours of conservation checks. He spoke about how Covid-19 meant they had to work out new ways of doing thing to minimise handling but he said he felt in many cases they had found better ways of doing things.

He went on the speak about the delivery stage and how the pictures were taken down, checked and then packed by room. I loved a photo of the 18th century room with the pictures off the wall and the bright colour of the silk wall covering where they had been. I don’t think I’d realised that room was meant to be pale green, I assumed the mucky grey was deliberate!

Finally he talked about plans for moving back and how they hope to mix mediums to make a more coherent display so where appropriate show paintings and photographs together. He felt that after this move the collection will return in the best condition it has ever been in.