STORY BY LEO ADAM BIGA PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY DEREK JOY
A+C Visual
Behind The Story Kenneth Bé The Conscientious Conservator
K
enneth Bé has the distinction of being Nebraska’s only paintings conservator. Since 2008, he’s plied his expertise at the regional Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha, treating works on just about any imaginable surface.
He fi lled a similar role at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where, he said, “I worked on nothing but the best of the best from one of the best collections in the United States.” After getting laid off in 2005 due to downsizing, he found opportunity here in Omaha. In assuming the then-newly created endowed position, he got carte blanche to outfit the lab to his specs. As a Yale undergrad, he studied geology and art history. His earth sciences interest was influenced by his father, who studied microscopic ocean sediment fossils as global climate change markers. The field of art conservation swayed Bé when an art teacher placed a framed watercolor by Anthony van Dyck in his lap. “I became very attracted to the idea of being a trained conservator who could do close physical examinations of works and have some impact on them,” he said. He feels obliged “to not only preserve works for the future, but help restore or bring pieces closer back to their original appearance or intent.” ►
MARCH/APRIL
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2021
