Lost Charles Le Brun Painting Restored Live
The artist’s work, Le Christ au jardin des Oliviers, once thought to be lost, will be restored, live in front of visitors.
For those who have always wondered what goes into restoring a masterpiece, the Lourve Lens Museum is on hand to provide an immersive educational experience. From now till August 12, the regional branch of the world-famous museum is opening its doors to visitors to watch the live restoration of a painting by Charles Le Brun.
The painting titled “Le Christ au jardin des Oliviers” was discovered in 2008, in a monastery located north of France. On limited dates, visitors to the museum will be able to watch restorers clean the famous painting for one hour. The visit to the restoration atelier is limited to 17 people at a time. Come November, once the painting has ben restored to its full glory, it will join other pieces by the artist at the Lourve’s Sully wing.
Marquise du Plessis-Bellière commissioned the original masterpiece in 1660 before the Sun King Louis XIV bought it. In the midst of the 1789 Revolution, the new government seized the painting along with thousands of other artworks leading many to believe that it had been lost for 200 years. The artist Le Brun held the position as King’s first painter for 30 years, where he created tapestries, paintings, cartoons and sketches for the king and his entourage. One of his famous works decorates the Hall of Mirrors in the Chateau de Versailles. As one of France’s most celebrated artist from the 17th century, Le Brun will be honored in a retrospective at the Lourve Lens Museum.