#restoration

WTF Art History

So Bad That It’s Good: 5 Worst Art Restorations

Artworks are a legacy of humanity and as such, they must be well preserved – and they usually are, thanks to museums and cultural institutions.

Rute Ferreira 13 November 2024

Art History 101

Lapis Lazuli—A Pigment More Precious Than Gold

Lapis lazuli, once more precious than gold, has a history of over 9000 years. The earliest artifacts found at Bhirrana, which is the oldest site of...

Irina Diana Calu 30 September 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Sleeping Venus by Giorgione and Titian

Giorgione and Titian’s Sleeping Venus is a masterpiece of the Venetian Renaissance school of painting. It explores sensual nudity through a...

James W Singer 2 July 2024

WTF Art History

Art Vandalism – 11 Famous Masterpieces Under Attack

The origin of the term “vandalisme” can be traced back to the French Revolution. Coined by Henri Grégoire, bishop of Blois to describe massive...

Zuzanna Stańska 1 July 2024

Johannes Vermeer, Brieflesendes Mädchen am offenen Fenster, um 1657-59 Zustand nach der Restaurierung © Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Foto: Wolfgang Kreische Baroque

The Mysterious Cupid in Johannes Vermeer’s Paintings

Johannes Vermeer is one of European art’s most loved and mysterious painters. Moderately known during his lifetime, completely forgotten after...

Zuzanna Stańska, Sophie Pell 14 June 2024

WTF Art History

The Most Outrageous Stories Behind Damaged Artworks

A few years ago, two Chinese women drove their Mercedes SUV into the Forbidden City in Beijing. That event created quite a controversy. The least you...

Michel Rutten 11 June 2024

Interview

Secrets of the Isenheim Altarpiece: Interview with Experts

Throughout art history, Jesus has been depicted in all his states, from life to death, not to mention the resurrection. The works that represent him...

Christopher Michaut 27 May 2024

Interview

A Secret Revealed in a Dresden Vermeer

Back in 2019, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) announced an exciting new...

Alexandra Kiely 27 May 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Laocoön and His Sons

Laocoön and His Sons was one of the most influential sculptures during the Renaissance. The contorted bodies of the figures, their faces full of...

Anastasia Manioudaki 16 May 2024

Ancient Art

Have You Ever Seen Ancient Sculptures’ Colors?

We admire the beauty and plasticity of ancient sculptures, how harmoniously they fit into the surrounding landscape. But we rarely ask ourselves the...

Elizaveta Ermakova 18 September 2023

Baroque

David and Goliath Painting Re-Attributed to Artemisia Gentileschi

Baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi’s long-hidden signature has been discovered in a 17th-century David and Goliath painting. The work was...

Alexandra Kiely 8 September 2023

Museum Stories

Artemisia (Literally) Unveiled: A Unique Chance to Encounter Artemisia Gentileschi in Florence

Until April 2023, the Casa Buonarroti Museum in Florence will host the restoration of Artemisia Gentileschi’s Allegory of Inclination. This is a...

Carlotta Mazzoli 31 January 2023