Paintings Conservation

As the oldest and largest department in The Center, the Paintings Department is nationally recognized for its outstanding conservation capabilities. Our staff is experienced in the treatment of all mediums, including tempera on panel, oil and acrylic on canvas and works on metal supports; as well as the treatment of works from all artistic genres and periods, including Byzantine, Baroque, Impressionist, and Modern and Contemporary.

Please click here to read about The Dutch Method, a superior treatment used to stretch shrunken canvas, by Elena Valentinovna-King, Senior Conservator of Paintings.

Portrait of a Lady, Dutch, 17th century, oil on canvas. Conservation treatment in progress: the surface has been cleaned of grime. On the right half, the discolored varnish layer was removed with organic solvents.

"The work you have done on my paintings has added great joy to my everyday life.  Give my best to all the "wonder makers" who brought my paintings back to life.  Our short visit to the center was a rare experience. 
I am in awe of the tremendous talent your professionals possess."
- Private client, September, 2007

"Excellent results for a fair price. The transformation was magical!"
- A. Stout, August 2004

"What we really have to thank you for is the superb work you had done on all of our paintings, in restoring them to their original condition and in a number of cases better than original. As you know our particular interest was whether you would be able to restore the painting of Jesus .... we were ... amazed at the condition of this piece once we actually saw it. Our hats are off to you and your staff for bringing back to us things that we thought we had surely lost."
- Henry & Minny Mozina, February 18, 2004

Treatment Examples

Genesis, Yves Tanguy, 1926, oil on canvas. On the left, the painting mid-treatment: the left side has been cleaned with an aqueous solution to remove surface grime and nicotine. The right side is untreated. On the right, the painting after the removal of all surface particulates and accretions.

Portrait of Woman, William Strang  (Scottish, 1859-1921), oil on canvas. A visible tear due to improper handling marred the surface of the canvas (see above, upper left quadrant; also detail below left). Below, the tear is shown after reweaving and inpainting.

Los Musicos, Fernando Botero (Columbian, 1932- ), conte crayon on cotton canvas. Pre-treatment (left), the tacking edges were covered with brown paper tape. Treatment included cleaning and removal of the paper tapes, flattening the distortions with humidity and weight, and stretching the canvas onto a new, custom-built stretcher (post treatment, right).

 

Samson Defeating the Philistines, Gerard Hoet (Dutch, 1648-1733), oil on panel. Exposure to water and humidity severely damaged the painting (pre-treatment, above left). After surface cleaning to remove grime and removal of the discolored varnish layer, the paint layer was inpainted, and a fresh layer of varnish was added (post treatment, above right).

The Sound of the Bassoon, Helen Frankenthaler, 1974, acrylic on canvas. Pre-treatment (above), the mural suffered from rippling, minor buckling and creasing from the stretcher.

Post treatment, detail above. The surface of the mural was cleaned and vacuumed, and canvas deformations and stretcher creases were flattened with moisture and pressure.

Sa fille, Eugene Carrière (French, 1849-1906), oil on canvas. This damage to this piece was the result of improper treatment and shipping: the freshly varnished painting was wrapped in bubble wrap and sent to the Center for cleaning, resulting in a a discolored and imprinted surface layer (pre-treatment, left). On the right, the painting after cleaning and re-varnishing (post treatment, right).

Landscape, Robert Lindneux, 1924, oil on canvas. Pre-treatment: the canvas was not lined and extremely brittle, with numerous losses to both canvas and paint.

Post treatment: after grime removal, lining, stabilization, canvas loss compensation and inpainting.

Pre-treatment, detail: the artist's signature, distorted by tears in the canvas.	Post treatment, detail

Other Notable Treatment Examples:

This 19th century oil on canvas, Diana, was severely torn and discolored. Careful cleaning, structural stabilization and retouching have reinstated the painting's magical charm.

During treatment: surface cleaning	Post treatment

The uncovering of the artist's signature during treatment.

Leda and the Swan: after treatment of a large tear in the canvas and the removal of overpaint, the original artist's hand is apparent.