More light for art conservation

Art, the creative expression of man's soul, of his sense of beauty and form, is known to have existed at least since the Paleolithic Age. The earliest found works of art date back some 20,000 years. Not all art, like the paintings found in the deep recesses of a cave in Lascaux, France, can survive intact for 15,000 years. Most of the masterpieces of mankind have been subjected not only to decades and even centuries of exposure to the elements, but also to the pollution of our industrialized society. Estimates and measurements indicate that in the past 75 years air pollution has caused almost as much damage to art works as the previous 500 years of ordinary wear and deterioration. Can man, whose genius and creativity have produced both great masterpieces and sophisticated cultures, now use his modern technology to ensure that this wealth of mankind, this art, is not lost for future generations?