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 The Courtauld Institute of Art.
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 2013–2016 she served as the Institute’s 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 – 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, Cross, Maureen, Ormsby, Bronwyn et al., ‘History and Use of Other Rigid Supports for Easel Paintings from Early Renaissance to 20th Century,’ 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, ‘Acrylic Retouching’, 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’, Studies in Conservation, No. (2025), 1-18.
Polkownik, Camille, Richardson Clare, Cross, Maureen, Maisey, 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, ‘Goya’s Portrait of Francisco de Saavedra: Materials, Techniques, Conservation and Context, Technè, No 53, (2022), 40-47.
Amato, Silvia R., Cross, Maureen, et al, ‘Examining Edouard Manet’s Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe from the Courtauld Gallery using spectral imaging techniques’, 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, ‘Pioneering Solutions: Treating Water Stains on Acrylic Paintings | Case Study Composition, 1963 by Justin Knowles’, 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., Tournié A., Dik J., ‘Interpreting technical evidence from spectral imaging of paintings by Edouard Manet in the Courtauld Gallery’, X-Ray Spectrometry 48, no.4 (2019): 282-292. DOI: 10.1002/xrs.2828.
Barkovic, Margaret, Diamond, Olympia, Cross, Maureen, ‘The Use of Agar Gel on Water-Stained Acrylic Canvases’, in Gels in Conservation, Contributions to the IPA/Tate Conference, 16-18 October, Archetype Publications, London (2017) 51-55
Burnstock, Aviva, Cross, Maureen, Serres, Karen, ‘Insoluble Surface Spots, Metal Soaps and Challenges in the Conservation of Goya’s 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, ‘The Making of Fiona Rae, RA: In Conversation with a Young British Artist’, Immediations 3, (3) (2014)
Pearson, Harriet, Cross, Maureen and Barker, R., ‘Protecting Impermanence: a preliminary investigation into the care of temporary artworks’, Immediations 3, (1) (2012)
Brummitt, Sophie and Maureen Cross, ‘”A Painter of ‘Strong and Good Likenesses” Studying some Gilbert Stuart portraits from Saltram House’, National Trust: Arts Building Collections Bulletin, Autumn Issue (October 2011) 14
Ormsby, Bronwyn, Maureen Cross, Elli Kampasakali, Lise Chantrier-Aasen, Patricia Smithen, ‘An Evaluation of Artists’ and Conservation Varnishes for Acrylic Emulsion Paint Films.’ in ICOM-CC 16th Triennial Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, 19-23 September 2011: Preprints, Mng. ed. Janet Bridgland, International Committee of Museums, Paris (2011) 1-11
Cross, Maureen, Sophie Brummitt, ‘Gilbert Stuart In Britain (1775-1787): A Technical Study of Selected Work from Saltram House, National Trust Property, Devon,’ Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 51 (2) (Fall/Winter 2011) 87-104
Tate-Harte, Alice, Chantal-Helen Thuer and Maureen Cross, ‘Materials Focus: Funori: A New Medium for Consolidation and Retouching’, The Picture Restorer 36 (Spring 2010) 13-14
Cross, Maureen, ‘Complexities of a Woman in a Courtyard (1933)’, in 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 (2007) 276
Cross, Maureen and Sarah Skinner, ‘Restoring Spontaneity: Conserving Duncan Grant’s ‘Caryatid’ from the Collection of Manchester City Galleries’, Cr: Interdisciplinair Vakblad voor Conservering en Restauratie (2004) 18-27
Cross, Maureen and Kathleen Flynn, ‘From Sausage Rolls to Sushi and Back Again: Lessons for successful travelling block-buster loans’, The Paper Conservator, 27 (Autumn 2003) 59-68
Cross, Maureen, et al., ‘From Fireplace to Fine Art – The Conservation of Duncan Grant’s Collage, Caryatid’, in 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, ‘Conference Review, Under Pressure’, University of Northumbria, 7-11 April 1997, The Picture Restorer, 12 (Autumn 1997) 21-24
Lectures and conference presentations
‘Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe: Sketch, Copy?’, AIC 53rd Annual Conference 27-31 May, Minneapolis, MN, USA (2025)
‘Minimalism in context: the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Royal Museums Greenwich,’ AIC 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)
‘The Use of Agar Gel on Water-Stained Acrylic Canvases’, in Gels in Conservation, IPA/Tate Conference, 16-18 October, London, UK, (2017)
‘Insoluble Surface Spots, Metal Soaps and Challenges in the Conservation of Goya’s Portrait of Francisco de Saavedra, ICOM-CC 18th Triennial Conference, 4-8 September, Copenhagen, Denmark (2017)
‘Condition Assessment and Documentation: An Overview, Contributions to The Basics of Artist’s Estates organised by The Institute of Artist’s Estates, 9-10 October, London, UK (2017)
‘A Technical Study of the Courtauld Gallery’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe using Macroscopic X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy to Provide New Insights into Manet’s Painting Practice’, Contributions to Writing Impressionism Into and Out of Art History, 1874 to Today conference, 3-4 November, London, UK (2017)
‘Gilbert Stuart Across the Atlantic’, Lunder Conservation Center: Conversations with Conservators, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 23 July, Washington, DC, USA (2013)
‘An evaluation of artists’ and conservation varnishes for acrylic emulsion paint films.’ ICOM-CC 16th Triennial Conference, 19-23 September, Lisbon, Portugal (2011)
‘Frederick Pickersgill’s Samson Betrayed: A Conversation with Paintings Conservation’. Manchester Art Galleries, 24 June, Manchester, UK (2003).
‘A Preliminary Study of the Tensile Properties of a Degraded Natural Linen Canvas with a View Towards Determining a Lining Programme’. The 16th Gerry Hedley Student Symposium, 29 May, Queens College, Cambridge (Hamilton Kerr Institute), UK (1998).