Van Gogh Exposed: What Restoration Research Can Tell Us About the Artist’s Technique

TEFAF Meet the Experts are interactive conversations about the artworks presented at TEFAF to engage with the vast knowledge and incredible objects at the fair.

In this interactive conversation the restoration research on the Populierenlaan bij Nuenen (Poplars near Nuenen) of Vincent van Gogh will be discussed. After almost 140 years the work is in need of restoration. The paint layers are unstable, an issue partly caused because Van Gogh painted the work on top of another painting, which has caused problems with adhesion. As such the restoration process will focus on consolidating the loose paint and possibly removing the varnish.

In 1903, the painting Populierenlaan bij Nuenen (Poplars near Nuenen), 1885, oil on canvas, 78 x 98 cm, by Vincent van Gogh was the first work by the artist to enter a public museum collection. It was donated by 26 art friends of the Museum. Van Gogh painted the work in Nuenen in 1885 and is believed to have added further touches of paint to the work in Paris, giving the work an important place in the artist’s oeuvre.

In 2022 TEFAF celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Museum Restoration Fund.
One of this years winners is the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The grant program created 10 years ago in support of the international art community’s vital work to preserve artistic and cultural heritage.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund, for the first time ever, the recipient’s work of art will be shown, pre-restoration, at TEFAF Maastricht during the run of the fair. A dedicated space at the fair will be designed to showcase this work by Van Gogh. Later in summer 2022, the restoration project will start at the Boijmans Depot, where visitors are able to follow the restoration project.

The Meet the Experts is organized in collaboration with ICOM-CC, and supported by Aon, the TMRF Anniversary Supporting Partner.