Maria Kontimpa

Maria Kontimpa, born in 1988, has a Certificate (B.A.) in Antiquities and Works of Art Conservation, following the Sector of Works of Art,Faculty of Fine Arts of the former Technological Educational Institute of Athens (T.E.I. Athens), currently knownas University of West Attica, Athens, Greece. In 2017, she graduated after a year of studies in Technical Art History (M.Litt.) of the College of Arts, the University of Glasgow in Scotland, UK. Her current research interest is focused on technical examination of the materials and techniques of the modern and contemporary artists, mainly in paintings and works of art on paper, through the three fields involved in the multidisciplinary approach; art history, science, and conservation. Her Bachelor and her Master dissertations proved this orientation to the study of the historical resources, as well as the scientific examination of the main tool of expression of artists; colour. Beyond her studies, Maria Kontimpa has acquired broad working experience that has stimulated and deepen her knowledge in Technical Art History; at first, on the conservation of paintings and framesthrough an internship period of 6 months conducted at the National Gallery under the supervision of Head of the Conservation Directorate and next on Pre-historic wall paintingsat the Archaeological Site of Akrotiri.

The 2 months student placement at the Burrell Collection of Glasgow Museums was an eye-opening experience during which she had the opportunity to work on the trade union painted banners in the UK under the guidance and instructions of Mrs Helen Hughes from the Burrell Collection and Dr. Margaret Smith from the University of Glasgow.During the first half of 2018, she has undertaken at the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of NCSR “Demokritos”, a 6 months theoretical and practical training on the use of portable XRF analysison a diversity of materials (metal, soil, glass and others) under the supervision of Dr. Andreas-Germanos Karydas. During this period she has co-authored three poster contributions presented in two of the most prominent European conferences. Today, she is working in the private sector in a field different from her studies and expertise, even though she has never stopped seeking the chance to enter into the challenging world of scientific research of modern and contemporary pigments.

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