????梅琳達?基夫博士：污損名畫修復高手

????年齡：39歲

????職務：陶氏化學高級研究科學家

????任職公司：陶氏化學

????地理位置：科利奇維爾，賓夕法尼亞州

????2012年，一位文化藝術破壞者用黑色涂鴉墨水，蓄意損毀了倫敦泰特現代美術館（Tate Modern gallery）內收藏的一幅馬克?羅斯科的繪畫作品。黑色涂鴉墨水是藝術保護主義者的死敵。造成破壞的涂鴉滲透了多個繪畫層，一直滲入到帆布上。梅琳達?基夫說：“我們需要一種溶劑，既能清除墨水，又不會損壞其他繪畫層。”基夫一直致力于染料和涂料的研發工作。幸運的是，她有一個得天獨厚的優勢，來減少這種犯罪。2008年，基夫發起了由陶氏化學、泰特現代美術館和蓋蒂保護研究所（Getty Conservation Institute）參與的合作項目，旨在研究修復現代藝術作品更有效的解決方案。她很快便開始測試各種可行的溶劑，其中包括藝術品保護領域并不常見的一種溶劑——乳酸乙酯，而正是這種溶劑最終幫助她解決了問題。今年五月，經過修復的《黑色和栗色》（Black on Maroon）終于在泰特現代美術館重見天日。

????Melinda Keefe, Ph.D.

????Age 39

????Occupation Dow Senior Research Scientist

????Company Dow Chemical

????Location Collegeville, Pa.

????In 2012 a vandal marred a Mark Rothko painting in London’s Tate Modern gallery with black graffiti ink, a mortal enemy for art conservationists. The damaging scrawl had permeated multiple fragile layers of paint, soaking all the way through the canvas. “We needed a solvent that would remove the ink and not harm those other paint layers,” says Melinda Keefe, a chemist who specializes in the development of paints and coatings. Fortunately, she was in a unique position to mitigate the crime. In 2008 Keefe spearheaded a partnership between Dow, the Tate, and the Getty Conservation Institute to come up with better solutions for restoring modern art, and she was quickly able to test possible solvents—including an unusual one for the art conservation field called ethyl lactate that ultimately helped do the trick. The restored “Black on Maroon” was unveiled at the Tate in May, once again back on view for the world.