The gallery policy is to restore the artwork back to its original state rather than repairing it, unless the artwork is in such bad condition that a more drastic course of action must be undertaken. Upon examination of an artwork, the following may come up- will intervention make the problem worse? Our mission is to interfere as little as possible with the artwork.
For works on paper, the following are the most common issues: foxing, mat burn, adhesive tape marks. For paintings on canvas, the most common problems are surface cracking, surface grime, paint erosion, damage to the canvas.