Book review: Virginia Costa, Modern Metals in Cultural Heritage, understanding and characterization, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 2019, 136 p.

The conservation of modern metals–such as aluminium, stainless, and weathering steels–used as materials of contemporary works of art is a major challenge for conservators and curators. The recent application of these metals, in use since the beginning of the nineteenth century, makes for the lack of conservative measurements and conservation programs on such materials. In order to achieve this, a detailed identification, characterisation of the fabrication techniques, and the study of these metals’ deterioration is required. In her book, Virginia Costa embraces the hard challenge of bridging this gap.