Maureen is a paintings conservator with over 25 years of professional experience. She is a full-time Senior Lecturer in the Department of Conservation at 91制片厂.
Maureen completed her first BA (Hons) at Michigan State University in Sociology and Economics, followed by a second BA (Hons) in History of Art at Hunter College, City University of New York, where she also achieved a minor in Chemistry.
She worked in the curatorial department at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, before undertaking conservation fellowships. These include an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she worked on the Antonio Ratti Textile Center Storage Project, an internship at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, as a Textile Conservation assistant and worked in private conservation studios in New York City.
Maureen moved to the UK to specialise in easel paintings conservation, completing her MA with Distinction at the University of Northumbria in 1998. She has since worked as a professional painting conservator at National Museums Liverpool, Manchester Art Gallery, and Tate, before joining The Courtauld.
She was appointed as a full-time Lecturer at The Courtauld in 2005. From 2013鈥2016 she served as the Institute鈥檚 first Associate Dean for Students. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2019 and was appointed Senior Tutor for Conservation in 2024.
Teaching 2020-21
MA in the Conservation of Easel Paintings
History of Artists Materials and Techniques
Principle and Theory of Conservation – modern and contemporary painting
Principle and Theory of Conservation – written & photographic documentation
Principles and Theory of Conservation 鈥 approaches, history, methods of Documentation and Conservation of Canvas Paintings
Conservation Practice – Studio supervision
Conservation for Curators – MA Curating
Convenor for Painting Pairs Research Initiative – a collaborative research project with MA Hisotry of Art, including art historical and technical study of paintings
Research interests
Materials and techniques of modern and contemporary artists
Applied and practical conservation research for treatment solutions
Recent publications
Books and chapters in books
Horovitz, Isabel, 听Cross, Maureen, Ormsby, Bronwyn et al., 鈥楬istory and Use of Other Rigid Supports for Easel Paintings from Early Renaissance to 20th Century,鈥 in The Conservation of Easel Paintings. ed. J. Hill-Stoner and R. Rushfield; Butterworths-Elsevier, London (2012) Total pages in book 889; Chapter pages 51-115 (Pages of contribution 103-110)
Sims, Shelley, Cross, Maureen and Smithen, Patricia, 鈥楢crylic Retouching鈥, in Mixing and Matching: Approaches to Retouching Paintings, Archetype Books, London (2010) Total pages in book 179; Chapter pages 163-179
Essays, articles and conference proceedings
Levet, Megan, Ormsby, Bronwyn and Cross, Maureen Cross ‘Retouching: Continued Research into Suitable Materials for Retouching Unvarnished Acrylic Dispersion Paintings’,听Studies in Conservation, No. (2025), 1-18.
Polkownik, Camille, Richardson Clare, Cross, Maureen, Maisey,听Sarah, ‘Lining at the National Maritime Museum and at the Courtauld Institute of Art: Past and Present,’ Contribution to the Conserving Canvas Conference, 14-17 October, Yale University & Art Gallery, ed. Schwarz et.al., Yale University and Getty Foundation Press, (2023) 1:4
Burnstock, Aviva, Cross, Maureen, Serres Karen, 鈥楪oya鈥檚 Portrait of Francisco de Saavedra: Materials, Techniques, Conservation and Context, 罢别肠丑苍猫, No 53, (2022), 40-47.
Amato, Silvia R., Cross, Maureen, et al, 鈥楨xamining Edouard Manet鈥檚 Le Dejeuner sur l鈥檋erbe from the Courtauld Gallery using spectral imaging techniques鈥, in Tales of the Unexpected in Paintings Conservation, Contribution to British Association of Picture Conservator/Restorers Conference, BAPCR, 31 January 2020, Archetype Publications, London (2020) 98-110.
Diamond, Olympia, Barkovic, Margaret, Cross, Maureen, Ormsby, Bronwyn, 鈥楶ioneering Solutions: Treating Water Stains on Acrylic Paintings | Case 91制片厂听Composition,听1963 by Justin Knowles鈥,听Treatment 2017: Innovation in Conservation and Collection Care, Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol 58 (3) (Spring 2019) pp 144-157.
Amato S.R., Burnstock A., Cross M., Janssens K., Rosi F., Cartechini L., Fontana R., Dal Fovo A., Paolantoni M., Grazia C., Romani A., Michelin A., Andraud C., Tourni茅 A., Dik J., 鈥業nterpreting technical evidence from spectral imaging of paintings by Edouard Manet in the Courtauld Gallery鈥,听X-Ray Spectrometry听48, no.4 (2019): 282-292. DOI:听.
Barkovic, Margaret, Diamond, Olympia, Cross, Maureen,听鈥楾he Use of Agar Gel on Water-Stained Acrylic Canvases鈥, in听Gels in Conservation, Contributions to the IPA/Tate Conference,听16-18 October, Archetype Publications, London (2017)听51-55
Burnstock, Aviva, Cross, Maureen, Serres, Karen, 鈥業nsoluble Surface Spots, Metal Soaps and Challenges in the Conservation of Goya鈥檚 Portrait of Francisco de Saavedra, Contributions to ICOM-CC 18th Triennial Conference, 4-8 September, Copenhagen, Denmark: Preprints ed. J. Bridgland, art. (2017) 1301. 1-7
Rutka, Fiona and Cross, Maureen, 鈥楾he Making of Fiona Rae, RA: In Conversation with a Young British Artist鈥,听Immediations听3, (3) (2014)
Pearson, Harriet, Cross, Maureen and Barker, R., 鈥楶rotecting Impermanence: a preliminary investigation into the care of temporary artworks鈥,听Immediations听3, (1) (2012)
Brummitt, Sophie and Maureen Cross, 鈥樷滱 Painter of 鈥楽trong and Good Likenesses鈥 91制片厂ing some Gilbert Stuart portraits from Saltram House鈥,听National Trust: Arts Building Collections Bulletin, Autumn Issue (October 2011) 14
Ormsby, Bronwyn, Maureen Cross, Elli Kampasakali, Lise Chantrier-Aasen, Patricia Smithen, 鈥楢n Evaluation of Artists鈥 and Conservation Varnishes for Acrylic Emulsion Paint Films.鈥 in听ICOM-CC 16th Triennial Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, 19-23 September 2011: Preprints, Mng.听ed. Janet Bridgland, International Committee of Museums, Paris听(2011) 1-11
Cross, Maureen, Sophie Brummitt, 鈥楪ilbert Stuart In Britain (1775-1787): A Technical 91制片厂 of Selected Work from Saltram House, National Trust Property, Devon,鈥櫶Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 51 (2) (Fall/Winter听2011) 87-104
Tate-Harte, Alice, Chantal-Helen Thuer and Maureen Cross, 鈥楳aterials Focus: Funori: A New Medium for Consolidation and Retouching鈥,听The Picture Restorer听36 (Spring听2010) 13-14
Cross, Maureen, 鈥楥omplexities of a Woman in a Courtyard (1933)鈥, in听Modern Paints Uncovered, Contributions to the Modern Paint Uncovered Symposium, 16-19 May 2006, ed .T. Learner, P. Smithen, J. Krueger and M. Schilling, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles听(2007) 276
Cross, Maureen and Sarah Skinner, 鈥楻estoring Spontaneity: Conserving Duncan Grant鈥檚 鈥楥aryatid鈥 from the Collection of Manchester City Galleries鈥,听Cr: Interdisciplinair Vakblad voor Conservering en Restauratie听(2004) 18-27
Cross, Maureen and Kathleen Flynn, 鈥楩rom Sausage Rolls to Sushi and Back Again: Lessons for successful travelling block-buster loans鈥,听The Paper Conservator, 27 (Autumn听2003) 59-68
Cross, Maureen, et al., 鈥楩rom Fireplace to Fine Art 鈥 The Conservation of Duncan Grant鈥檚 Collage, Caryatid鈥, in听IIC Works of Art on Paper: Books, Documents and Photographs, Techniques and Conservation. Baltimore Congress, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 2-6 September 2002, ed. V. Daniels, A. Donnithorne and P. Smith, International Institute of Conservation, London (2002)
Bennett, Richard, Maureen, Cross and Joseph Padfield, 鈥楥onference Review, Under Pressure鈥, University of Northumbria, 7-11 April 1997,听The Picture Restorer, 12 (Autumn听1997) 21-24
Lectures and conference presentations
‘Le D茅jeuner sur l鈥橦erbe:鈥 Sketch, Copy?’, AIC 53rd Annual Conference 27-31 May, Minneapolis, MN, USA (2025)
‘Minimalism in context:鈥 the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Royal Museums Greenwich,’ 鈥婣IC 50th Annual Conference 13-18 May, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2022)
‘Lining at the National Maritime Museum and at the Courtauld Institute of Art: Past and Present,’ Conserving Canvas Conference, 14-17 October Yale University, New Haven, CT (2019)
鈥楾he Use of Agar Gel on Water-Stained Acrylic Canvases鈥, in听Gels in Conservation, IPA/Tate Conference,听16-18 October, London, UK, (2017)
鈥業nsoluble Surface Spots, Metal Soaps and Challenges in the Conservation of Goya鈥檚 Portrait of Francisco de Saavedra, ICOM-CC 18th Triennial Conference, 4-8 September, Copenhagen, Denmark (2017)
鈥楥ondition Assessment and Documentation: An Overview, Contributions to The Basics of Artist鈥檚 Estates organised by The Institute of Artist鈥檚 Estates, 9-10 October, London, UK (2017)
鈥楢 Technical 91制片厂 of the Courtauld Gallery鈥檚 Le D茅jeuner sur l鈥檋erbe using Macroscopic X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy to Provide New Insights into Manet鈥檚 Painting Practice鈥, Contributions to Writing Impressionism Into and Out of Art History, 1874 to Today conference, 3-4 November, London, UK (2017)
鈥楪ilbert Stuart Across the Atlantic鈥,听Lunder Conservation Center: Conversations with Conservators, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 23 July, Washington, DC, USA (2013)
鈥楢n evaluation of artists鈥 and conservation varnishes for acrylic emulsion paint films.鈥 ICOM-CC 16th Triennial Conference, 19-23 September, Lisbon, Portugal 听(2011)
鈥楩rederick Pickersgill鈥檚 Samson Betrayed: A Conversation with Paintings Conservation鈥. Manchester Art Galleries, 24 June, Manchester, UK (2003).
鈥楢 Preliminary 91制片厂 of the Tensile Properties of a Degraded Natural Linen Canvas with a View Towards Determining a Lining Programme鈥. The 16th Gerry Hedley Student Symposium, 29 May, Queens College, Cambridge (Hamilton Kerr Institute), UK (1998).