Adopt an Artwork

Herdsmen in Italianate Landscape & Shepherds

These two beautiful paintings attributed to Jean-Honoré Fragonard are currently not on display and we cannot show them because they have a layer of dirt and discolored varnish covering their surfaces. Moving forward, our goal will be to only put works on display that look the best they can. So these two paintings need a gentle cleaning to remove the grime and old varnish. Old retouching that covers abrasion and paint loss will be redone and new varnish applied to let the sky shine in a beautiful and saturated blue and the clouds in a proper white – and not a smoky yellow! Just like the artist would have wanted them to look.

Piece Highlights

  • Artist: Jean-Honoré Fragonard
  • Medium: oil on canvas

Adopted

It’s easy to adopt an artwork! Here is a Step-by-Step:

  1. Once you have chosen which artwork you would like to adopt, reach out to our Curator of European Art, Robert Schindler ([email protected]; 205.297.8064), and let him know. You can also jointly adopt an artwork with friends or family (even a company can adopt an artwork)!
  2. We will then send you information on the work you have selected, including its conservation needs and a treatment proposal. You will also be invited to the tour before the work is conserved.
  3. When the conservation is completed, you will be invited for a viewing “after treatment” and you will be sent an invoice along with the treatment report.
  4. Finally, choose whether you want to be credited on the gallery label or not. At the end, you send your payment for the treatment to Robert and we will forward to you a formal acknowledgment of your tax-deductible contribution.
  5. Done!

If you have questions or would like to adopt an artwork, please call or email Robert [email protected] // 205.297.8064.