Adopt an Artwork

Mrs. Ogilvy

An old yellowed varnish covers this painting. A good amount of dirt and grime is embedded in the surface and makes this young lady look a little dull. Old repairs show up very white and unfortunately in a very prominent spot: her décolleté. This should be corrected and blend in better with her skin tone. In the upper right of the picture one sees little dots or spots in the background that were certainly not intended by the artist. We cannot be quite clear what has happened (or is happening) here unless a conservator starts removing the varnish, but this needs to be addressed. Conservation will remove the dirt and grime, remove varnish, and correct old repairs. She will look so much better because of it!

Piece Highlights

  • Artist: Cornelius Jonson van Ceulen, I, England, of Flemish descent, 1593-1661
  • Medium: oil on panel

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.