Bringing Back Rothko's Harvard Murals with Light | Narayan Khandekar | TEDxBeaconStreet

Mark Rothko's Harvard Murals cannot be restored by conventional means. The team set upon a method whereby the right color and intensity of light can be shone in exactly the right location across two million pixels for each of the five murals to restore their appearance without physically intervening with the painting. This completely reversible treatment has not previously been used on paintings for public display. This talk will explain the history of the murals and the development of the conservation treatment culminating in an exhibition at the Harvard Art Museums.
Narayan Khandekar is the senior conservation scientist at the Harvard Art Museums. His main foci are understanding the materials and techniques of artists, and providing a career path for scientists into art galleries.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@Lynne-28]

Recalling the day the Rothkos were first taken out of storage and dramatically unrolled on the 1st floor of the Fogg. (I worked there during the late Eighties) SUSPENSE! MAGICAL! They had changed colors! So glad to hear you’ve so carefully, respectfully restored them!

[@Melina-sl7cc]

Came from the Forbes pigment collection video :)

[@MsGnor]

Restoration, such an art form in itself. Thanks for sharing your team's efforts Mr Khandekar :)

[@NazzaKandybar]

We published a couple of papers if you would like to read more about this project : Stenger, J., Khandekar, N., Raskar, R., Cuellar, S., Mohan, A. and Gschwind, R., ‘Conservation of a room: a treatment proposal for Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals,’ Studies in Conservation, 61(6), 2016, 348-361 Stenger, J., Khandekar, N., Wilker, A., Kallsen, K., Kirby, D.P. and Eremin, K., ‘The making of Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals,’ Studies in Conservation, 61(6), 2016, 331-347.

[@sabrinaflipse7732]

but doesn't that light itself deteriorate the paintings as well?

[@NazzaKandybar]

That is a good thought and it could. We displayed the paintings at such low light levels that there was not enough energy to cause any more deterioration