Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Charming Portrait of the Honorable Augusta Herbert
4/11/2024
This charming portrait of the Honorable Augusta Herbert, by British artist John Hoppner (1758–1810), is long overdue for cleaning.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: A chemical peel?
3/14/2024
As paintings conservators, we may use chemicals, but we certainly don’t give facials.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Innovator of Printing and Design
3/7/2024
Two prints by Willim Hentschel came through the paper lab with old hinges and pressure sensitive tapes. The artist’s work is unlike any other in the collection.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Macro-Scanning Cézanne’s Still Life
2/15/2024
Last month, three Northwestern scientists brought their highly specialized scanning and imaging equipment to the museum and spent a week in our Paintings/Objects lab.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Preparing Woo Chong Yung for Display
2/8/2024
Preparations are well underway for the upcoming exhibition From Shanghai to Ohio: Woo Chong Yung (1898-1989). In fact, we have been developing the show for more than four years.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Cleaning a Visitor Favorite: Girl Eating Porridge
1/18/2024
This visitor favorite, Girl Eating Porridge, by French artist Adolphe William Bouguereau (1825–1905), was acquired by the museum in 1884, a mere ten years after the artist painted it.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: A Portrait’s Curious Characteristics
12/7/2023
This small painting by American artist Julian Alden Weir (1852–1919) was donated to the museum by the artist in 1911.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Gainsborough’s Ladies
11/2/2023
These three portraits by 18th-century British artist Thomas Gainsborough are in the paintings conservation lab to be examined for the British catalog project.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: A Twisted Tale
10/5/2023
This small round painting, attributed to the studio of the 17th century Dutch artist Frans Hals, was recently in the paintings conservation lab to have its discolored varnish removed.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Removing Varnish, Brightening a Landscape
8/10/2023
We’ve had this painting by American Impressionist Theodore Robinson (1852–1896) listed for varnish removal for a while. That’s because curators and conservators know that Impressionist artists rarely varnished their paintings.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: The Approaching Storm
7/5/2023
Another work recently conserved for the British catalog project, The Approaching Storm by English artist Thomas Barker (1769–1847), presented a challenge.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: A Seemingly Innocuous British Portrait
6/8/2023
When I read the curatorial file for this painting, I discovered a remarkably expansive biography, not just of the painting itself, but also of the sitter and the artist. What is most interesting to me, though, is the sitter’s story.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Street Cleaning
5/11/2023
We recently cleaned Sunlight on Prospect Street, Gloucester, Massachusetts by Edward Hopper (1882–1967).
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: A Charming Secret
4/13/2023
Painted by the French Impressionist Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), Fog on Guernsey recently paid a visit to our lab for cleaning—and it let us in on a charming secret.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Revealing an (Anonymous) British Lady
3/16/2023
This portrait of an anonymous lady by an anonymous British artist was so dirty that only the most basic details were visible before conservation.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Another British Invasion!
2/16/2023
These three portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds (British, 1723–1792) have come out of storage and into the conservation lab for the museum’s British catalog project . They are due to be examined, and perhaps treated, before heading to our photography department for high resolution imaging.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Brightening a Nearly 100-Year-Old Harbor Scene
1/19/2023
Before the work was shipped to the museum from out of state, our curator of American art, Julie Aronson, PhD, contacted a professionally trained paintings conservator in that region to examine it. He noted a few areas with cracks and lifting paint that might be jeopardized during transport. With permission from the owner , the conservator applied the three tissue paper patches you see here to make sure that no paint flakes were lost in transit.
Revealing a “Hidden” Cézanne
12/15/2022
A few months ago, I posted about the complicated surface coatings on Cézanne’s Still Life with Bread and Eggs.” But what was going on under the surface was even more of a surprise.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Women at the Races
10/6/2022
Look for the recently conserved painting in our gallery soon.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Bread, Eggs, and UV Light
9/15/2022
Look for Bread and Eggs (and onions!) to return to the permanent galleries soon.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Phew!
8/18/2022
The last step of conserving the large 7’ x 5’ painting by Murillo has arrived.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Structural Support
6/23/2022
Now that the Murillo has been cleaned of varnish and retouching, it’s time to address its structural support, in other words, the canvas and stretcher.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Varnished Villanueva
5/26/2022
Cleaning of the very large painting by the Spanish artist, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, has begun.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Return of the Shrimp
4/28/2022
Our paintings conservator is readying another painting for our upcoming exhibition Henry Mosler Behind the Scenes: In Celebration of the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Ladder Required
3/31/2022
Conservation has begun on one of the tallest paintings in the museum.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: A face, an egg, a patch
3/3/2022
Conservation of the large still-life by an anonymous 17th century Neapolitan artist is finally finished.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Packed and Ready to Go
2/24/2022
More Asian paintings have moved through the paper lab on their way to be conserved by a scroll mounting specialist.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: A Close Encounter
2/3/2022
Here’s another close encounter in the paintings conservation studio that you would be unlikely to see in our galleries.
A New Korean Tiger Painting
2/1/2022
As the king of beasts in China, the tiger is also one of the oldest and most meaningful animal subjects in Chinese painting. Here, the unidentified artist portrays a large tigress sitting under an old pine tree.
Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Still Life in Blue with Lemon by Paul Cézanne
12/9/2021
Be sure to stop by Gallery 227 to see Still Life in Blue with Lemon after its visit to Conservation.
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