#USA #New York #Art Conservation #Historic Artworks #BofA

Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project Awards

Bank of America is continuing its unwavering commitment to the preservation of significant art pieces through its Art Conservation Project™. For the year 2026, the initiative has earmarked grants for 18 projects spanning across ten countries, showcasing a global commitment to safeguarding cultural heritage.

Diverse Artistic Heritage and Global Impact

The selected projects encompass a variety of artistic mediums and traditions. This year’s grant recipients include tales of renowned masterpieces such as Rembrandt's The Night Watch, Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Henri Matisse's La Négresse, and Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne. In essence, it represents an extensive range of conservation needs, from fragile artworks on paper to large-scale paintings requiring advanced techniques for preservation.

The announcement was made at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, a previous recipient of an Art Conservation Project™ grant for the conservation of Vincent van Gogh's iconic The Starry Night. MoMA is currently showcasing a major Marcel Duchamp exhibition, further underlining BofA’s dedication to the arts.

Brian Siegel, the Global Arts, Culture & Heritage Executive at Bank of America, stated, “Every artwork has its own story - which is sometimes hidden beneath varnish, cracked pigment, or centuries of decay. Conservation is the quiet work that brings those stories forward today and for future generations.” This year's projects particularly highlight the variety of innovative techniques being employed, some of which utilize imaging tools that have only emerged in recent years.

Featured Conservation Projects

Highlighted projects for this year include:

• - Apollo Theater (New York) - Conservation of 13 lobby murals.
• - Centre des Monuments Nationaux (Paris) - Restoration of The Palms of the Arc de Triomphe.
• - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Mumbai) - Restoration of The Judgement of Paris by Jacob de Backer.
• - Duomo di Milano (Milan) - Conservation of Transfiguration by Camillo Procaccini.
• - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston) - Restoration of four 17th-century tapestries by Raphael de la Planche.
• - La Casa del Libro Museum (San Juan) - Over 3,100 artworks will undergo conservation processes.
• - Minneapolis Institute of Art - The Meeting of Dante and Virgil by Francesco Salviati will be restored.
• - Montreal Museum of Fine Arts - Conservation efforts for Juggler by Alice Rahon.
• - Museo de Arte de Lima - Restoration of 52 paintings by Francisco Laso de los Ríos.
• - Museu Paulista da Universidade de São Paulo - Baltazar de Borba Gato artwork will be rehabilitated.
• - National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.) - Conservation of Matisse's La Négresse.
• - Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) - Restoration efforts for Rembrandt's The Night Watch.
• - San José Museum of Art - Shadow Over the Land by Benny Andrews will be part of the conservation efforts.

The proactive approach of Bank of America through this project not only helps preserve art but ensures that these masterpieces return to public display, making cultural treasures accessible to future generations.

A Legacy of Cultural Preservation

Since its inception in 2010, the Art Conservation Project™ has successfully backed over 15,000 conservation projects in 40 countries. The objective remains straightforward: to protect, preserve, and ensure accessibility to historically and culturally significant works threatened by environmental factors or the passage of time.

This year’s awardees reflect the shared mission of conserving art, emphasizing both the intrinsic and extrinsic value such work brings to communities. As Bank of America continues to forge ahead with its commitment to the arts, it solidifies its role as a vital partner in the preservation of our shared heritage.

For more detailed insights and a complete brochure enumerating the selected projects, you can visit the Bank of America arts website.