The Restoration of Vampire by Edvard Munch

#munchmuseet #EdvardMunch #MUNCH #artrestoration #ArtConservationProject #thevampire⁠
🧛‍♀️ One of Edvard Munch’s most famous motifs, The Vampire (1893), breathes new life into the art world. 🎨
Between February-August 2023, an extensive and unique restoration process of Edvard Munch's The Vampire (1893), was carried out at MUNCH in Oslo. The aim is to remove all traces of the 1957 restoration and hide the visually disturbing damages whilst preserving signs of the painting’s age. By treating it now, any further degradation will be stopped. The painting will be stabilized, and in the long run, will appear in better condition than before this treatment. This project was sponsored by Bank Of America.
Why was The Vampire (1893) restored?
🧑‍🎨 Edvard Munch’s sometimes non-traditional use of materials and experimental techniques give his artworks a completely unique look - and it came with several challenges for MUNCH’s conservators. When Oslo municipality took over the collection after Munch’s death in 1944, they found that many of his artworks were badly damaged, including one version of The Vampire from 1893.
In 1957, the painting was restored but after a recent survey, our paintings conservators concluded that the varnish should be removed. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to remove it. The restoration from 1957 used a paint technique called “ Tratteggio-retouching ” where the conservator painted thin vertical lines to the areas that needed to be restored. This “linear” retouch is visible to the eyes in a close examination of the artwork. This time, our conservators decided to do a retouching technique that is entirely invisible to the eyes, both from a close or fair distance. This means that the difference between Edvard Munch’s original paint technique and the retouched areas is undetectable.⁠
👀 The painting also suffered various damages when it was stolen in 1988 by Pål Enger. To steal the painting, Enger broke one of the museum’s windows, put his arm through the hole and lifted the picture off the gallery wall. When the motif was returned to MUNCH, the painting was scratched and injured during the heist, and needed to be restored.
🖼️ Today, The Vampire (1893) is back on display at MUNCH. Follow the link to learn more about the restoration project:www.munchmusee...
Directed by Andres Heger-Bratterud
Produced by MUNCH in collaboration with Både-Og (c) Munchmuseet
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