Zaindu-The Museum Restores Programme, 2009

Cooperation between El Corte Inglés Bilbao and the museum, which began in 1990, moved into a whole new dimension in 2000 with the introduction of Zaindu-The Museum Restores, a programme facilitating treatments designed to stabilize conservation conditions or (depending on the state of the works in question) complex restoration processes.

Cooperation between El Corte Inglés Bilbao and the museum, which began in 1990, moved into a whole new dimension in 2000 with the introduction of "Zaindu-The Museum Restores", a programme facilitating treatments designed to stabilize conservation conditions or (depending on the state of the works in question) complex restoration processes. The featured work in 2009 was The Holy Family (c. 1525-1530) by Flemish painter Jan Gossaert. Also restored was another work from the Old Master section, The Dormition of the Virgin (c. 1437-1445), from the studio of Aragonese artist Blasco de Grañén. This concluded treatment of the six artworks in the museum collection that originally belonged to the same Gothic retable or altarpiece. From the collection of Basque art, Village Festival in the Square was singled out for attention as being a good example of the style and themes of Bilbao-born artist José Arrúe. Treatment for art on paper in 2009 involved eighteen engravings by Goya from the series The Proverbs or The Follies (1864), acquired last year. In contemporary art, San Sebastián-born artist Andrés Nagel’s The Kidnapping of Centaur (1984) was chosen for treatment. Finally, for the first time the programme tackled a piece of furniture from the museum’s “hidden collection”. The piece in question is an unusual second half of 16th century Bureau. Researchers from Spain’s CSIC research council helped on the stylistic and technical analysis.