Fleurs Grises – A Delicate Surface. Difficult to Clean – Essential to Protect

Abstract

Surface cleaning of a painting by Nicolas de Staël proved to be much more challenging than expected. Though the painting was executed in oil paint and the paint layer was dried properly, a traditional cleaning with fluids and cotton swabs was impossible. The very vulnerable paint surface with an extreme relief and widely undamaged impasto asked for a new combination of cleaning methods to make a safe and responsible surface cleaning possible. The selected method will be discussed, as will the re-framing and preventative measures that might protect the surface in the future.