Voces del Prado

Restoring masterpieces is terrifying

George Bisacca, Restorer, 1985-What's on

Obviously, you’re not always working on the greatest masterpieces, but the great paintings you remember every bit of it. And it’s kind of funny like … anytime, still now, that I’m going to work on something that’s of such high quality, the first day or two I can’t touch it really. I have to kind of get to know it a little bit. So, I spend the time putting my tools in order, sharpening things, kind of walking around the picture. Then after a couple of days you decide okay, you have to just begin it. Once you begin then you’re in it and it’s okay, it’s no problem.
I think, for many years I maybe was very interested in executing the treatments and doing those treatments. But I think the older one gets … the reason that I’ve continued to do this for so long it’s just because you can be so close to these great things. I would be just as happy just looking at them as I am in treating them. Of course, I love to see the finished restoration, and appreciate a kind of balance that we’ve restored to it; to see how clean we’ve done our treatment and how well its response to the problem. It’s a great satisfaction, but the best part is having months and months really close to the work and handling it, and understanding all of the steps that the painter made in executing the image. It’s a great privilege to be that close.