The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice is restoring The Studio (1928), its large painting by Pablo Picasso, to its original brightness. The artist added a fresh layer of white to the canvas shortly after completing the work, to simplify the palette and composition.
Acquired by Peggy Guggenheim from a New York-based dealer in 1942, the work was lined with wax and resin in the late 1960s to prevent cracking and flaking. But the white has yellowed as the wax has risen to the surface, while the other colours have dulled. The Swiss bank BSI is sponsoring the project to conserve and research the work.