The author draws upon his work in Brazil and interviews with professionals there to trace the history of art conservation and restoration in that country. Brazil possesses vast cultural holdings, spanning the Colonial (1500-1822), Imperial (1822-1889) and Republican (1890 to present) periods. The art restoration and conservation movement in Brazil originated with the work of Edson Motta, and American-trained Brazilian, who imtroduced modern methods and dominated the field in his native country for more than three decades. Motta created a movement that overcame the geographic, cultural, and linguistic isolation of Brazil from the rest of the world. A phenomenal growth in national and regional academic programs and facilities that have trained restorers has, unfortunetely, coincided with severe national economic problems which have limited the movement's continued progress. -- CAL