From the Painting to the Inpainting: Some Approaches to the Treatment of Lacunae in Venetian Artworks

Conservator Giulio Bono and art historian Cleo Nisse will discuss how the conservator approaches Venetian paintings with diverse typologies and levels of loss. Discussion will revolve around the conservation treatment of three works that each posed a unique set of challenges, prompting the development of tailored solutions to reintegration in every instance. It will explore some of the ways that the formal and material qualities of a painting, its singular history, as well as its physical and cultural context, can guide interventions. This dialogue will dwell in the complexities of real-life cases from the perspective of an individual conservator, rather than proposing a set of generalizable norms for the conservation of lacunae. The relationship between technological advances and treatment practices will also be explored, as, arguably, the development and diffusion of imaging techniques are changing what it means to be able to perceive retouching, thereby shifting the practical implications of longstanding values in the conservation field.

Giulio Bono is a Venice-based art conservator who has worked independently since 1991 for institutions and foundations in Italy and abroad. His conservation of Titian’s Presentation of the Virgin won the Italian Heritage Award, while his treatment of Titian’s Assunta won him the Premio Marino Grimani.

Cleo Nisse is an assistant professor at the University of Groningen. She holds an art history PhD from Columbia University and a postgraduate degree in paintings conservation from the Courtauld Institute. She recently authored Venetian Canvas and the Transformation of Painting, Princeton University Press, 2026.

Pre-registration required. More information about the pre-registration will be published soon HERE.

Scientific Organization: Lise Meitner Group "Loss, and Conservation in Art History", Francesca Borgo