Adopt a Work of Art: Head of a Model

Conservation at the Ackland

Special thanks to every member of the Ackland Art Museum Guild for their adoption of Head of a Model by Bonnat.

Bonnat’s unadorned study of an African model represents a more academic side of the French Realist movement. The painting’s condition has deteriorated over the past ten years. Tiny areas of paint have been lost along the lower edge and other old damages have become more prominent. The varnish is highly discolored and hazy, with matt spots. The dark, rich palette is severely compromised, the stunning modeling flattened and the impact of the dramatic lighting thwarted. This work could be real jewel if cleaned and re-varnished.

The cost of conserving this painting is estimated at $3200.

Léon Bonnat, French, 1833-1922: Head of a Model, ca. 1857, oil on paper, mounted on canvas.

Adopt a Work of Art

In January 2007, the Ackland launched a new program to fund top priority conservation treatments. Adopt a Work of Art gives individuals and groups the opportunity to sponsor the treatment of an individual work of art. The sponsor of a treatment has the fascinating opportunity to follow its progress through written reports, photos, and, in some cases, lab visits. When the conserved work returns to the gallery, the sponsor will be acknowledged in the wall label whenever the work is displayed in the Ackland Galleries.

Contact Ackland conservator Lyn Koehnline (843-3680; koehnlin@email.unc.edu) for further information about the program.

Find out more details of the works and their needed treatments by clicking on the respective image.

Current Works Awaiting Sponsorship

 

Current Sponsorships

A very special thank you to Carol McNeel for being the first to support the program and adopt Roe Deer in the Snow by Courbet.

Special thanks to every member of the Ackland Art Museum Guild for their adoption of Head of a Model by Bonnat.

Past Sponsorships