{"id":1945649,"date":"2026-05-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1945649"},"modified":"2026-05-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T21:00:00","slug":"baumgartner-restoration-painstakingly-brings-a-neglected-portrait-back-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1945649","title":{"rendered":"Baumgartner Restoration Painstakingly Brings a Neglected Portrait Back to Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"490\" height=\"276\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/baumgartner-4.gif\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a gif from a video by Baumgartner Restoration of a portrait with torn canvas and creases being restored\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All images courtesy of Baumgartner Restoration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Baumgartner Restoration Painstakingly Brings a Neglected Portrait Back to Life<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-20T11:00:00-05:00\">May 20, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F05%2Fbaumgartner-restoration-folded-portrait-painting%2F&amp;title=Baumgartner%20Restoration%20Painstakingly%20Brings%20a%20Neglected%20Portrait%20Back%20to%20Life\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#ebd4989e89818e889fd6a98a9e868c8a999f858e99ced9dbb98e989f84998a9f828485ced9dbbb8a8285989f8a8082858c8792ced9dba99982858c98ced9db8aced9dba58e8c878e889f8e8fced9dbbb84999f998a829fced9dba98a8880ced9db9f84ced9dba7828d8ecd8a869bd089848f92d6a98a9e868c8a999f858e99ced9dbb98e989f84998a9f828485ced9dbbb8a8285989f8a8082858c8792ced9dba99982858c98ced9db8aced9dba58e8c878e889f8e8fced9dbbb84999f998a829fced9dba98a8880ced9db9f84ced9dba7828d8eced9dbceaed9ced3dbced2dfced9db839f9f9b98ced8aaced9adced9ad9c9c9cc59f83829882988884878498988a87c5888486ced9add9dbd9ddced9addbdeced9ad898a9e868c8a999f858e99c6998e989f84998a9f828485c68d84878f8e8fc69b84999f998a829fc69b8a82859f82858cced9ad\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"474170\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cPaintings arrive at the studio in all states of disrepair,\u201d shares art conservator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@BaumgartnerRestoration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Julian Baumgartner<\/a>, who receives artworks in need of attention all the time. He adds, \u201cIt is, however, odd to have a painting arrive in a manner that can\u2019t help but make one wonder just how bad it is.\u201d An anonymous portrait was indeed <em>folded<\/em> inside a parcel that itself had been mangled enough in transit to make one think, Is this going to be salvageable? For the highly trained painting restorer, though, \u201cFortune favors the fold.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Baumgartner has seen his fair share of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tag\/baumgartner-restoration\">bad overpainting<\/a> and, in this case, pretty substantial creases, tears, and worn-away paint. He runs Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration, a Chicago-based studio focused on ensuring that works of art are conserved and repaired so future generations can continue to enjoy them. With painstaking attention to detail and\u2014just as importantly\u2014the use of reversible, archival materials, this neglected portrait is given what seems like an almost miraculous second chance.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/baumgartner-1.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474170\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1121\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/baumgartner-1.jpeg\" alt=\"a still from a video by Baumgartner Restoration of a painting being restored, with tears and creases in the canvas being prepped\" class=\"wp-image-474177\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/baumgartner-2.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474170\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1119\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/baumgartner-2.jpeg\" alt=\"a still from a video by Baumgartner Restoration of a damaged portrait painting newly installed on a sturdy backing and stretcher bars\" class=\"wp-image-474178\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/baumgartner-3.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-474170\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1130\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/baumgartner-3.jpeg\" alt=\"a still from a video by Baumgartner Restoration of a painting being unfolded\" class=\"wp-image-474179\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside 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article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All images courtesy of Baumgartner Restoration Baumgartner Restoration Painstakingly Brings a Neglected Portrait Back to Life May 20, 2026 Art Kate Mothes Share Email Bookmark \u201cPaintings arrive at the studio in all states of disrepair,\u201d shares art conservator Julian Baumgartner, who receives artworks in need of attention all the time. He adds, \u201cIt is, however, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1945649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1945649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1945649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1945649\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1945649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1945649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1945649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}