Theofilos paintings undergo conservation at Mytilene (photos + video)

Folk painter Theofilos (Hatzimichail) that date back to the Thirties are being conserved by the Ministry of Culture. The 86 works, located at the northern Aegean island of Lesvos, are on display at the Theofilos Museum in Varia. 23 have already been conserved and are open for the public to enjoy in new museum-quality frames in the renovated museum.

True to Theofilos technique, the paintings are on cloth that makes them susceptible to wear. They had been nailed to wooden frames and placed in Plexiglass frames in the Sixties but this made them hard for visitors to enjoy due to the reflection caused. A number of the works have developed mould and have been damaged by insects.

The non-invasive cleaning and restoration techniques have been developed by the chemical engineering department of the National Polytechnic University and the microbiology department of the Athens Medical School.

The paintings have been given a new lease of life now that they have been remounted on beechwood and covered by an acrylic (Optium Museum Acrylic) that is unbreakable and unscratchable that filters out 99% ultraviolet light.