Experts Are Carefully Restoring a 15th-Century Masterpiece by Giovanni Bellini—and You Can Watch Them Work

The two-year project is expected to cost around $580,000, and visitors to the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice will be able to observe the process in person

Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent

April 2, 2026

A painting on a wall with a bright light pointing at it and two people standing in front, surrounded by scaffolding — Restorers are touching up the wood panel painting in full view of the public. Matteo Panciera

A 500-year-old artwork in Venice is undergoing a major restoration, and members of the public can watch the process unfold.

Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini created the work around the year 1478 as an altarpiece for the church of San Giobbe in Venice. For centuries, the wood panel painting—called Madonna and Child Enthroned, Music-Making Angels and Saints Francis, John the Baptist, Job, Dominic, Sebastian and Louis of Toulouse—hung inside the church in a custom stone frame.

But by the 1810s, time had taken its toll and the piece was in need of restoration. The painting, which is more than 15 feet tall, was transported to the Gallerie dell’Accademia, where it has remained ever since.

“It is a work of immense importance, not only [for] Venetian art but for all of Italian art,” Giulio Manieri Elia, the museum’s director, tells the London Times’ James Imam. “It represents that pivotal moment in the Renaissance when the polyptych made with multiple panels transitioned to monumental single altarpieces.”

Man working on scaffolding on the back of wooden paneling — The piece is made up of 13 horizontal poplar planks that had been affixed together by glue and wooden pins. Matteo Panciera

Now, the 15th-century masterpiece is once again in need of a touchup. However, conservators have determined it’s too delicate to be moved, so it will be stabilized, cleaned and protected in place. The exhibition hall is being turned into a temporary laboratory, bringing the work of restoration out into the open.

This decision to restore the piece in public view is “not only about caring for an absolute masterpiece of our collection,” Elia says in a statement shared with Artnet’s Richard Whiddington. “It’s about demonstrating how scientific knowledge, responsible conservation and visitor communication are integral to the museum experience.”

The piece features 13 horizontal poplar planks that had been affixed together by glue and wooden pins, according to a statement from the museum. Over time, temperature fluctuations have caused the wood to expand and contract, and this movement has resulted in long cracks on the surface. The painting has also become discolored over the centuries.

Conservators hope to stabilize the wood, gently remove dirt and old varnish, address the cracks and restore the original color. They’ll also apply a new varnish to the surface to protect it for years to come.

“The work site, set up directly in the room with large windows overlooking the working area, will allow visitors to follow the project live, observing up close the different stages of study, analysis and conservation treatment of the artwork,” according to a March 19 Instagram post.

During the project, conservators also plan to use ultraviolet fluorescence and infrared imaging to study the piece. They hope to learn more about the original composition and the effects of the half-dozen restorations that have been completed over the past 200 years.

So far, their investigation has revealed several preparatory layers beneath the painted surface, including coats of glue and clear primer made of white lead, according to the statement. They’ve also discovered that some of Bellini’s brushstrokes contain a mix of three pigments.

Quick facts: Restoring art in front of an audience

Hundreds of miles from Venice, visitors can observe the restoration of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Conservators are carefully cleaning and restoring the 17th-century masterpiece from behind a glass barrier.

The two-year, $580,000 project is being funded in part by Venetian Heritage, a nonprofit working to preserve Venice’s art and architecture. Last year, the same group helped fund the restoration of another Bellini piece, Pietà, also known as Dead Christ Supported by Angels, which belongs to the City Museum of Rimini and is currently on view at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

Once the restoration is complete, Bellini’s altarpiece will be relocated to a former church that’s now part of the museum. “That will give it more breathing space,” Toto Bergamo Rossi, director of Venetian Heritage, tells the Times. “It will look even more glorious.”

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