Skip to main content
Smithsonian Logo WhiteSmithsonian main website
Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute
  • Home
  • About

    About

    • Contact Us
    • Giving
    • History
    • Media Information
    • Mission
    • Staff
  • Publications
  • Fellowships and Internships

Paintings Conservation

MCI's paintings conservators work on various paintings in oil, acrylic, or mixed media and their supports, coatings and varnishes. Conservation activities include examination, documentation, treatment, and preventive care, supported by research and education.

Top Stories

a single paint sample from the 20th-century painting Big Egg (1968) by Ed Clark, from the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). More than 15 layers were identified and characterized using digital microscopy and SEM-EDS. An easy-to-use method for preparing paint cross sections Understanding the material composition of paintings is crucial for developing appropriate conservation treatment plans, especially when the hidden paint layers contain mixed media.   
Jia-Sun Tsang, in collaboration with curators of Visual Art Collection at NMAAHC, Dr. Jacqueline Serwer and Dr. Tuliza Fleming to conserve and care for paintings and painted artwork in Visual Art Gallery from 2007 to 2022. Preservation of African American Paintings and Painted Artworks The Visual Art Gallery highlights the important contributions of American artists of African descent through a historic and thematic lens.
Foam Inserts behind the painting Art in Transit Handbook p. 106. Reproduced with permission from the publisher. Vibration and Backing Boards: Risk Reduction from over-sized Modern and Contemporary Paintings A backing board with foam inserts is a passive system of preventive care for modern and contemporary paintings that can reduce the risks of damage from vibration, fluctuating temperature and humidity, pests, and dust in exhibit, storage, and transit.
Partial Diagram of the cross section of the Floating Panel Protecting Paintings on Display and in Transit Through Innovative Collaboration Displaying, and transporting modern and contemporary painting safely has never been a one-size-fits-all process.  

Paintings Past Projects


Caring for Your Paintings

El cuidado de sus pinturas

Caring for Acrylic Paintings

El cuidado de las pinturas acrílicas

What Makes the Painting Image Change?

¿A qué se deben los cambios en la imagen de una pintura?

Does My Painting Need to be Cleaned?

¿Necesito limpiar mi pintura?

What Does It Mean to Have a Painting Restored & How Do I Pick a Conservator?

Painting Conservation Glossary of Terms

What is a Painting?

Painting Varnishes

Smithsonian Logo WhiteSmithsonian main website

Footer

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Back to Top