Stedelijk Museum Completes Restoration of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Masterpiece via Bank of America Grant
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam has completed the restoration of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Nacktes Mädchen Hinter Vorhang (Fränzi), a key work in its German Expressionist holdings. The project was funded through Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project. The painting, acquired by Willem Sandberg in 1955, is once again on view in the collection presentation Yesterday Today – Collection Until 1950. Research conducted in summer 2024 confirmed the artist reworked the canvas in 1910 and 1926; treatment involved consolidation of flaking paint, filling, and retouching completed in fall 2024, followed by installation of a climate frame.
The Signal
The restoration underscores the Stedelijk’s sustained commitment to preserving its German Expressionist collection and demonstrates how targeted conservation grants can return fragile works to public display. For collectors and curators, the project highlights the technical challenges of Kirchner’s experimental paint mixtures and the value of long-term institutional care in maintaining market and scholarly relevance for early 20th-century works on coarse supports.
- Artists: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
- People: Rein Wolfs, Andrea Sullivan, Willem Sandberg
- Museums: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Locations: Amsterdam
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