This post is part of an ongoing series on Eye Level: The Best of Ask Joan of Art. Begun in 1993, Ask Joan of Art is the longest-running arts-based electronic reference service in the country. The real Joan is Kathleen Adrian or one of her co-workers from the museum’s Research and Scholars Center. These experts answer the public's questions about art. Earlier this year, Kathleen began posting questions on Twitter and made the answers available on our Web site.
Question: How does one clean an oil painting from the 1930s covered with dust and nicotine stains?
Lunder Conservation Center Conservator Ann Creager removes the last patch of a layer of old varnish from this portrait (circa 1850), Woman with Gold Necklace
Answer: No matter how stable the environment, such as temperature, light and humidity levels, eventually a painting will require some cleaning or conservation treatment. A good resource for information on the cleaning and restoration of paintings is The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). Please keep in mind that art restoration should not be undertaken by amateurs. The AIC also provides tips on selecting a conservator through its online guide to conservation services, and offers a brochure titled "Caring for Your Treasures".
The Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute has also created a series of helpful brochures for taking care of artwork. You can also view conservators at work in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Lunder Conservation Center. The Center features floor-to-ceiling glass walls that allow the public to view all aspects of conservation work —work that is traditionally done behind the scenes at other museums and conservation centers. In the Paintings Lab, you can see "before and after" examples, as well as view video of specific treatments.
For further reading on the conservation of paintings, you may be interested in the following books: Nancy Davis's Handle with Care: Preserving Your Heirlooms, George Grotz's The Antique Restorer's Handbook: A Dictionary of the Crafts and Materials Used in Restoring Antiques and Works of Art, Francis Kelly's Art Restoration: A Guide to the Preservation and Care of Works of Art, and Mette Tang Simpson's and Michael Huntley's Sotheby's Caring for Antiques: A Guide to Handling, Cleaning, Display and Restoration.
