Art + Work | Treating cracked paint on a Piet Mondrian painting

Watch as Paintings Conservator Elma O’Donoghue carefully treats cracks on the surface of a painting by Piet Mondrian, “Composition in White, Red and Yellow.”

Read more about this very detailed process and view before and after treatment photos: https://unframed.lacma.org/2021/12/15/treating-cracks-piet-mondrian-painting

00:00 – Introduction
01:51 – Examining and identifying cracks from the back of the painting
03:49 – Treating cracks on the painting
06:34 – Drying and flattening cracks
08:54 – Setting cracks with weights

Art + Work is an observational documentary showing the care that LACMA conservators put into preserving artworks in our collection. Working closely with LACMA’s Conservation Center, this series highlights the wide range of techniques and tools used by our skilled conservators.

Learn more about LACMA’s Conservation Center: https://www.lacma.org/learn/conservation

**Viewing with headphones is recommended**
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Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 140,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.

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