From ancient masterpieces to modern icons, artworks across the spectrum were granted a second life this past year thanks to the meticulous hands of conservators and restorers. Major projects such as the long-awaited restoration of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch commenced, while others, including restorative work on a Rubens and Michel Majerus’s long-thought-lost laptop, revealed secrets buried under layers of history. And of course, Paris’s celebrated landmark cathedral, Notre-Dame, received the grandest glow-up of all.

Here are 10 restoration triumphs that made our headlines this year.

13th-Century Cimabue Fresco Restored to Former Glory
By Anya Smirnova, February 13, 2024

Cimabue, Maestà di Assisi (13th century). © Archivo Fotografico del Sacro Convento.

“Led by chief restorer Sergio Fusetti, the restoration project removed previous overpainting and compounds added in the 1970s that darkened the work’s lustrous colors. These were restored to their original appearance using pigments identified through technical analysis, the Art Newspaper reported.”

The Louvre Gives Its Anne of Cleves Portrait a Massive Glow-Up
by Verity Babbs, March 30, 2024

Hans Holbein, Anne of Cleves (ca. 1539). Photo: © 2017 RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Tony Querrec.

“The differences achieved by the restoration team are impressive, particularly in the removal of built-up layers of dirt which revealed the original bright blue background behind Anne of Cleves, which for many years has appeared to be a murky sea green.”

Paintings Saved From the Notre-Dame Fire Are Newly Restored and Back on View
By Richard Whiddington, April 16, 2024

Restoration of The Corneille at the feet of Saint Peter by Aubin Vouet. Photo: Mobilier National.

“Though undamaged by the fire, the Regional Direction of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) chose to perform long overdue restorations, hiring 50 restorers over a 24-month period for the task. At Mobilier National, the Mays are presented chronologically—the diocese has a new layout planned for Notre-Dame—and are granted long overdue attention.”

The Louvre Unveils Its Iconic Delacroix After a Stunning Restoration
By Holly Black, May 1, 2024

Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People (1830), after restoration. © Grand Palais Rmn (Musée du Louvre) / Adrien Didierjean / Mathieu Rabeau.

“For example, the central allegorical figure of Liberty—who is known in France as Marianne, the personification of liberté, égalité, fraternité—wears a tunic which was believed to be uniformly yellow. However, it is in fact light grey with hints of golden hues. A conservation effort in 1949 is believed to be responsible for deliberately recoloring the clothing.”

A Major Restoration Breathes New Life Into Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Iconic ‘Seasons’
By Artnet News, June 6, 2024

Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Winter (1573) from “The Four Seasons,” after restoration. Photo: © GrandPalaisRmn (musée du Louvre) / Adrien Didierjean.

“Over the decades they have hung in the Louvre, the ‘Seasons’ canvases have taken on a yellowed appearance, with their increasingly cloudy varnishes obscuring the paintings. The restorers set out to lighten the varnish, but encountered another issue: what to do with the floral garlands that ran along the edges of each portrait?”

Conservation of a Rubens Masterpiece Turns Up Hidden Alterations
By Artnet News, June 20, 2024

Conservator Britta New retouching Peter Paul Rubens’s The Judgement of Paris during the conservation treatment. © The National Gallery, London.

“During conservation, the painting was subjected to scientific analysis using non-invasive techniques including X-ray fluorescence and reflectance imaging spectroscopy. Conservators found that the canvas had undergone a number of restorations since Rubens’s death in 1640. What’s notable was the work done between 1676 and 1721, likely by a French artist, which significantly altered the painting’s composition.”

20 Years After Michel Majerus’s Tragic Death, the Pioneering Artist’s Laptop Has Been Restored. Surprises Abound
By Andrew Russeth, July 1, 2024

Screenshot of Michel Majerus’s laptop (a PowerBook G3), selected by Cory Arcangel, November 2023. © Michel Majerus Estate, 2024

“Now a sprawling body of material that details how Majerus made his trailblazing art has become available. His laptop was recovered from the plane crash and has been restored as part of a thrillingly multifarious project that involves his estate, the artist Cory Arcangel, a longtime Majerus fan, and the digital-art organization Rhizome.”

Restoration of Famed ‘Rainbow Portrait’ of Queen Elizabeth I Uncovers New Discoveries
By Devorah Lauter, September 30, 2024

Detail. Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I (c. 1600-1603). Courtesy of Hatfield House

“The restoration and conservation process also revealed several new discoveries. Most notably, ‘one of the key takeaways from the event was that all experts were in agreement that this likely represents a posthumous portrait of Elizabeth, rather than one commissioned and painted during her lifetime,’ said Rahi in an e-mail. Ryder found underdrawings suggesting the face was created using a pre-existing pattern, so the queen need not have sat for this portrait.”

Famed Roman Sculpture ‘Apollo Belvedere’ Reemerges After Major Restoration
By Tim Brinkhof, October 15, 2024

Apollo Belvedere at the Vatican Museum. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images.

“The most recent—and invasive—restoration began in 2019, when the sculpture was removed from public display after curators identified small but concerning cracks in its legs—a condition one of the employees, Guy Devreux, described as ‘incredibly dramatic.'”

These Newly Restored Films Reveal a Rare Glimpse Into Warhol’s Silver Factory
By Min Chen, November 11, 2024

Gerard Malanga, Andy Warhol: Portraits of the Artist as a Young Man (1964). Photo: © Gerard Malanga. Courtesy The Waverly Press.

“Over many months, experts from “one of the best film labs in the U.S.,” said James, worked to preserve the films, making sure to retain their original textures and material aspects. The entire process was further supervised by analog film specialists, who were on hand to tackle issues from degradation to color correction.”