Role of fungi in the deterioration of wall paintings

Wall painting was one of the earliest forms of art all over the world. On account of a variety of factors, these wall paintings undergo deterioration. Growth of fungi over these has been considered a major factor in their decay by many workers and attempts have been made to understand the mechanism of decay as well as to find suitable fungicides for their control. This paper summarizes the present state of knowledge with regard to the role of fungi in the deterioration of wall paintings.