PORTLAND, ORE.- One of the most cherished paintings at the Portland Art Museum (PAM) is getting a long-awaited conservation treatment. Claude Monet’s Waterlilies (1914-15) is the cornerstone of the Museum’s strong Impressionist collection and has been loved by visitors for decades. Thanks to a generous grant from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project, not only will this iconic painting be restored, the community can follow along in a series of videos and programs with Charlotte Ameringer, Portland Art Museum Conservator.

The conservation focuses on removing a non-original synthetic varnish, with the goal of returning the painting more closely to Monet’s intended appearance. “The varnish was applied around 1959, and it saturates the paint layers, causing the colors—especially the blues—to appear darker and more intense,” said Ameringer. “It also imparts a uniform gloss to the surface. As a result, Monet’s soft, subtle colors, his variations of texture and luminosity, and his intentional emphasis on the painting’s surface are profoundly altered.”

The restoration of Monet’s masterpiece is taking place in the Museum’s new, remodeled conservation studio, part of the campus transformation now underway.

Everyone is invited to follow along and learn more about the conservation process on PAM’s website, in a “pop up” gallery, and on social media channels. “It has been wonderful to publicly share an important and critical aspect of museum work that is typically kept behind the scenes,” said Ameringer.

One of over 250 paintings of waterlilies (nymphéas in French) that Monet painted in his garden in Giverny, France, over the course of nearly three decades until his death in 1926, the Portland Art Museum’s Waterlilies (1914–15) is regarded as a particularly superb interpretation. The artist's son Michel Monet had the painting hanging in his dining room for over 35 years. The Museum purchased Waterlilies in 1959, a major acquisition made possible by the proceeds of a highly successful Vincent Van Gogh exhibition at PAM the year before.

Beginning today, the public will get a look behind the scenes at the conservation process through a series of six videos available on the Museum’s website and social media channels. A video introduction to the series is now online, along with the first episode, in which Ameringer invites viewers into the world of art conservation to learn why artworks need conservation, and how removing the varnish from Monet’s Waterlilies will restore the painting closer to Monet’s intended appearance.

PAM plans to post the next video in the conservation series on August 28, with additional videos released throughout the course of the conservation treatment, which is expected to be completed at the end of the year. Visitors to the Museum will also be able to view the videos at the Portland Art Museum beginning August 28, 2024.