In the introductory chapter, it was stated that for many contemporary artworks the notion of art as a ‘fixed’ material object has become highly problematic. These contemporary artistic practices not only upset the foundations on which art and the art world are built, but they also challenge the underlying concepts and values of fine art conservation. As a result, the existing confidence is crumbling.

This chapter explores the origins and history of these ‘certainties’, by analysing those concepts, which belong to what Laurenson (2001a and 2006) calls ‘traditional conservation’, or, in the words of Muñoz Viñas (2005) ‘classical conservation’. The chapter attempts to provide more insight into the use and definitions of ‘artist's intention’ and ‘authenticity’, which form the backbone of traditional conservation theory and practice. I will explore these key concepts as articulated in pertinent conservation literature, with the aim of providing the reader with a general and basic historical background of these concepts by also placing them in a historical framework. What are the theoretical grounds for conservation practices, and how, from this, can we understand the challenges of contemporary art for today's conservators? The goal of the chapter is thus to shed more light on some of the problems conservators of contemporary art are currently facing, but also to find explanations for the relatively limited debate and the lack of open dialogue in the field of conservation.

Given its scope, this book is not the place for a lengthy philosophical discussion on the concepts of authenticity and artist's intent. Therefore, to narrow the subject down, I will focus on the discourses of authenticity and artist's intention within the field of conservation, and against the background of key developments in fine art conservation practice and theory. Although both concepts are theoretically heavily charged and have become debatable in other areas such as philosophy and musicology, in conservation theory they are still widely used. Does this imply that in this field, the concepts of artist's intention and authenticity are applied uncritically? How did views about these terms develop in the field of conservation? How can we understand the different meanings ascribed to them?