Carlos V. Francisco's The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines: Renegotiating decisions and collaborations in conservation

The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines comprises of four oil paintings on canvas executed by Philippine National Artist Carlos V. Francisco in 1953, which were commissioned for the main entrance hall of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. The Hospital's entrance hall opens directly onto the outdoor environment. With air pollution and pedestrian traffic through the hospital, combined with termite infestation and minor incidents of vandalism, the paintings began to exhibit signs of severe deterioration, such that restoration was performed in 1974, then again in 1991 and in 2006. Nevertheless, the condition of the paintings continued to worsen. This gave rise to the idea of transferring the original paintings to a special gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines, in exchange for high-quality reproductions that would take their place at the hospital entrance. Such an initiative would be unprecedented in the Philippines, but was made possible by the shared recognition of all stakeholders that the paintings were highly significant. This paper describes how a collaborative approach to a large-scale conservation project has led to increased recognition of and support for the conservation department at the National Museum of the Philippines.