The History, Past and Present, of the Conservation and Restoration of the Samuel H. Kress Collection

The great collector, Samuel Kress, had a particular interest in how his paintings looked, and passed this concern on to his younger brother, and worked closely with two restorers between 1926, when Kress bought his first painting, and 1961, when the collection was given away: Stephen Pichetto, and Mario Modestini. Both men played an important role in curating the collection as well as taking care of its material needs, and both hewed to a traditional approach, especially in the case of the most important part of the restoration of a painting, its cleaning, or removal of discolored dirt, resins, oils, and repaint.