Lunch & Learn: Ancient West Mexican Ceramics

Fowler Conservator Christian de Brer will share insights from his doctoral research on ancient West Mexican ceramics. Learn how scientific analysis, provenance studies, and conservation methods reveal new understandings of these distinctive funerary traditions and the complex histories behind their movement into museum collections.
Christian de Brer (he/his) has a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from UCLA in conservation of cultural heritage and is the head of conservation at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. His dissertation focused on the provenance and analysis of ancient West Mexican ceramics in the holdings of Mexican and Southern Californian institutions. His research reflects on source community involvement in preservation practices and museum activities.