Restoration of Gustave Courbet’s Masterpiece “The Artist’s Studio”

Legendary French artist Gustave Courbet’s large-scale masterpiece The Artist’s Studio was initially acquired with help from public donations. Now over one hundred years old,

the renowned work is in a fragile state, largely due to its poor storage conditions before it entered the national collections. Restoration of the painting is a priority for the Musée d’Orsay. The conservation work will take place in situ to let the public experience all that is involved in such a mammoth project. The project is the beneficiary of the Museum’s first ever crowd-funding initiative in France (ulule.com/courbet). As of October 2014 the campaign had surpassed its initial goal, showing the public’s affinity for this beloved masterpiece. Also, corporate support has come from Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project and Saint-Gobain. The budget is approximately $760,000.  In 2013, AFMO granted $50,000 toward this project and was pleased to announce a second grant of $ 150,000 in 2015!