Rabin, Bernard, 1916-2003.

Bernard Rabin was a paintings conservator from 1960 until shortly before his death. Rabin was born in the Bronx, New York, November 1, 1916, and died at age 86 on March 24, 2003. He attended Newark Art School, 1930-1933. He and Nathan Krueger established the Rabin and Kreuger Gallery in Newark, New Jersey in 1938. In 1957 he began studying conservation with Sheldon and Caroline Keck in a pilot program at the Brooklyn Museum. In 1959 he traveled to Italy and undertook an internship at the Uffiizi Museum in Florence. In his career as a conservator, Rabin focused on wall paintings, frescos and other fine art. He traveled to Italy following both the 1966 flood in Florence and the 1976 earthquake in Friuli to help rescue damaged art. He presented a new lining adhesive technique in 1972 and spent more than 10 years working on murals in the U.S. Capitol Building, including a fresco produced by Constantino Brumidi. Rabin was active in several professional organizations. In addition to conservation work, lectures and teaching, Rabin also published a number of articles and a chapter on conservation in a book about Constantino Brumidi.