Restoration Thyssen

It strives to restore the integrity of works by applying treatments that prolong the life of these cultural assets and to remedy the damage caused by the passage of time and the ageing of materials.

Discover the Restaurabits

Secrets and curiosities of the works
Detalle de la radiografía de la obra de Canaletto “La plaza de San Marco en Venecia”
Restaurabit
Shadows and secrets in St Mark’s

On the façade of the Old Procuracy building, a small detail attracts the viewer’s attention: washing hung out to dry between the arches. When we explore details of this kind using advanced study techniques, features that are imperceptible to the naked eye are revealed.

Restaurabit
The secret face of artworks

Did you know that the stamps, inscriptions and labels we often find on the back of paintings reveal key aspects of the artworks? An example is Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s Interior of the Church at Mantes. These details, which are hidden to viewers, provide us with very valuable information.

Restaurabit
Behind the veil of time

Did you know that the varnish used in paintings eventually degrades, darkening the colours and obscuring details? A coating of varnish is used to protect pictures but over time it can turn into a dark, opaque layer that distorts the picture’s original luminosity and hues. 

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Technical Studies and Conservation Work

Conservation/restoration projects and technical studies reflect the results of the examinations carried out by the department. This work helps glean new information and rediscover the pieces in the permanent collection
Self-Portrait by Gabriele Münter. Technical study
Technical study
Self-Portrait by Gabriele Münter. Technical study
In connection with the Gabriele Münter retrospective at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, the department of conservation/ restoration decided to study the works by this artist in the collection to learn more about her technique.
Fra Angelico, The Virgin of Humility.
Restoration and technical study
Fra Angelico, The Virgin of Humility.
Results and conclusions of the technical studies conducted on The Virgin of Humility, one of Fra Angelico’s most iconic paintings.
Carpaccio’s Knight
Restoration and technical study
Carpaccio’s Knight
Carpaccio’s Knight is a painting that is as dazzling as it is enigmatic. We still do not know the man’s identity, even though historians have been coming up with various hypothesis for the past century. The most recent proposal, put forward by Professor Augusto Gentili, is that he is a Venetian captain stationed at a naval base in Greece who was defeated by the Turks and beheaded in Istanbul.
Georgia O'Keeffe in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collections
Technical study
Georgia O'Keeffe in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collections
To mark the first Georgia O’Keeffe retrospective in Spain, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza decided to carry out research on the five paintings belonging to its collections, dated between 1921 and 1957, in order to examine the artist’s technique in depth.
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Meet the Restoration team

Research projects

Approach the restoration process

Visits to the workshop
Visits to the workshop
Aimed at professionals and postgraduate and master's degree students
The visit shows how professional conservation and restoration work is carried out in the institutional environment through the various activities involved and complements academic training with a view to the students' professional future.   
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Guided virtual tour
Guided virtual tour
A virtual experience for all audiences
A tour of the works from the point of view of the museum's restoration team. You will learn about some of the treatments that are carried out on the paintings and we will reveal secrets and curiosities that hide a selection of our masterpieces.
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La obra de Ghirlandaio Retrato de Giovanna Tornabuoni, en el taller de restauración
Supports restoration projects
Collaborate actively with the museum in its studies and projects
Join us!