My co-Chairs Laurence de Viguerie, Mathieu Thoury and I are happy to announce that the registration for the TECHNART 2027 international conference is now open! The 10^th International Conference on Analytical Techniques for Heritage Studies and Conservation will take place 11-14 May 2027 at the Maison de la Chimie in Paris. Held under the auspices of the DCP-SCF, TECHNART 2027 provides an outstanding opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience on cutting-edge research and innovative approaches in cultural heritage.

The TECHNART 2027 program will span four days and include plenary lectures, keynote lectures, and more than 130 oral contributions organized into three parallel sessions. A wide range of international experts will be invited to present the latest advances in analytical science for cultural heritage and to highlight emerging research directions and technological innovation. More information is available on the website of the conference: technart2027.com

We hope to see you in Paris!

The work coordinated by my colleague Frederique Broers at the Rijksmuseum (NL) was just published in Analytical Chemistry. The research focused on using synchrotron-based micro X-ray fluorescence tomography to probe historical paint samples. The article is available here.

We obtained funding from the Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine to start a PhD on the development of new fluorescent probes to study alteration of oil paint. I will co-direct the PhD with Jean-Michel Chauveau from GeMAC. The PhD will take place at PPSM and GeMAC, in collaboration with SOLEIL Synchrotron, Centre Pompidou and IPANEMA. We will have the pleasure to continue working with Nolwenn Tremodeux after her Master internship!

Ayoub Traverson was awarded a Young Researcher award at the E-MRS 2026 Spring meeting! His PhD, co-directed with Loïc Bertrand (CNRS PPSM – ENS Paris-Saclay) and Stéphanie Elarbi (Centre Pompidou) focuses on studying the chemical mechanisms linked with the alteration of gouaches by Henri Matisse. Congratulations Ayoub!

I contributed to a review on the influence of water and humidity on oil paint layers. This article was written in the framework of Léa Cutard‘s PhD, directed by Laurence de Viguerie at LAMS. The publication is available here.

After Nolwenn Tremodeux last month, Coline Leroux joins our laboratory for her Master internship. Coline’s research focuses on the reactivity of the mixed lead (II,IV) oxide Pb₃O₄ minium pigment. She will work with Marine Cotte, Gilles Wallez, Koen Janssens and I to gather new chemical information on the evolution of minium in oil. Welcome Coline!

This month, Nolwenn Tremodeux joins the laboratory for her Master internship. Nolwenn’s project bears on the synthesis and implementation of luminescent functional molecules to probe chemical parameters linked with historical oil paint alteration. She will work with Clémence Allain, Isabelle Leray, Rémi Métivier and I, with the objective of studying these molecules in model systems representative of paint layers, notably using the fluorescence microscopy instrumentation developed at the PPSM. Welcome Nolwenn!

Ida Fazlic obtained on October 24 her PhD from the University of Amsterdam for her work Exploring the Chemical Interactions of Lead(II)Oxide and Linseed Oil in Historical and Model Paint Systems Using Laboratory and Safe Synchrotron Radiation Analyses, co-promoted by Katrien Keune (Rijksmuseum / UvA) and Marine Cotte (ESRF / CNRS-LAMS). She notably presented results from our recent works on the mechanisms active in historical paint formulations containing PbO. Some results were already published in J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. and Herit. Sci. Congratulations Ida!

I contributed to an extended review on « Advanced X-ray techniques to study the alteration of pigments in paintings ». The publication is open access and available for download here.