Pablo Picasso's 'Femme' at The Getty

In 2011, we produced a report on the conservation department at Fondation Beyeler, more specifically about the Acanthes Conservation Project. The extensive investigation and conservation project focused on the artwork Acanthes by French artist Henri Matisse, a major work from the artist's series of large-format “papiers découpés”. Chief Conservator Markus Gross and Conservator Stephan Lohrengel provided us with some insight into the work of a conservator.
Now we met Markus Gross again, this time in Los Angeles, at The Getty Center, where he was taking part in the Conservation Partnership Program. He brought a very special painting from the collection of the Beyeler Foundation, a 1907 Pablo Picasso entitled 'Femme' (Epoque 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'). In this video, Markus Gross provides us with an introduction to the Conservation Partnership Program, and talks about conservatory aspects of the painting: the analytical work that was done, the results of the analysis and the state of preservation of the painting, and what restoration measures are planned. He also shares some interesting findings about the color palette that Pablo Picasso had applied to the top edge of the painting, and show us what can be revealed by observing a painting with a UV lamp.
This video is an excerpt, the full-length version is available at
The Getty Center, Los Angeles, November 10, 2014.