Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC)


Updated 17/9/96: Order preprints of the Edinburgh conference in September '96


ICOM-CC comprises more than 1,200 people from every continent concerned with the museum world and with the conservation and restoration of objects of historic and artistic significance.

Two documents describe the ideals of the ICOM-CC:

- The "Bylaws of the ICOM Committee for Conservation"

- The Code of ethics: "The Conservator/Restorer: A Definition of the Profession"


ICOM-CC provides a framework within which conservation specialists can meet and work on an interdisciplinary level. Twenty-four Working Groups are the backbone of the Committee. They may deal with:

- Scientific investigations into objects of significance to cultural and natural history.

- Optimizing solutions to conservation problems.

- Developing standard techniques and manuals.

- Planning disaster management and preventive conservation.

Each Working Group is made up of members interested in a specific area of research and is linked by a co-ordinator appointed by the members themselves.


ICOM-CC organizes Triennial Meetings to bring together professionals from all over the world who are interested in conservation. The Meeting represents the apex of the triennial activity of the Committee and of its Working Groups. Recent Triennial Meetings have been held in Copenhagen in 1984, Sydney in 1987, Dresden in 1990 and Washington in 1993. The 1996 Triennial Meeting was held in Edinburgh.

Here we present and discuss the results of three years work. These contributions are published in the conference preprints, which constitute one of the most important publications in the field of conservation. About 1.200 papers have been published between 1980 and 1993 alone.


For membership: Apply to your ICOM national committee or to the membership service at:

ICOM, Maison de l'UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris cedex 15, France


This home page is administered for ICOM-CC by Puccio Speroni, bev-ps@brede.natmus.min.dk at the National Museum of Denmark