HONG KONG.- M+ today announced the appointment of Marc Walton to the position of Head, Conservation and Research. Reporting to the Deputy Director, Collection and Exhibition, Marc Walton has taken on a key leadership role and be an integral part of the Collection and Exhibition Department of the museum to develop an integrated approach to conservation for the institution. His appointment was effective on 4 February 2022.

In 2013, Marc Walton joined the Northwestern University / Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts as an inaugural Senior Scientist and as a Research Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the university. In January 2018, he was appointed as the co-Director of the Center.

Walton possesses a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford in archaeological science and a Master of Arts in art history at New York University. He worked at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts, where he has led numerous scientific research projects, investigating art objects with cultural heritage institutions representing disciplines from anthropology to contemporary art and geographical reach in both United States and internationally. He implemented multiple collaborative initiatives with research groups across Northwestern University. His research focuses on the manufacture and trade of objects, and on the development of imaging technologies in the field of conservation science.

Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+, said, ‘Walton’s extensive and highly recognised conservation and research background is extremely valuable to our mission as Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture. We are very pleased that Walton will play a vital role in developing overarching strategies in conservation to support our ambitious curatorial programmes and ensure the long-term preservation of the M+ Collections. I believe that the museum will benefit immensely from his conservation leadership and research experience.’

Marc Walton said, ‘I am truly honoured and excited to join the newly opened M+ which has the world’s foremost collections of twentieth- and twenty-first-century visual culture rooted in Asia while defined, developed, and examined from a global perspective. I look forward to working with the entire M+ team on developing conservation narratives and building a robust scientific research programme for the continued success of this promising new institution.’