Huntington Library launches 2-year restoration of ‘Blue Boy’

This reproduction provided by The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens of the painting "The Blue Boy," by Thomas Gainsborough, oil on canvas. British painter Thomas Gainsborough's 18th century masterpiece is undergoing a major two-year restoration beginning next week. Curators at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif, want to revitalize colors they say have become dull and hazy. (The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens via AP) This reproduction provided by The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens of the painting "The Blue Boy," by Thomas Gainsborough, oil on canvas. British painter Thomas Gainsborough's 18th century masterpiece is undergoing a major two-year restoration beginning next week. Curators at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif, want to revitalize colors they say have become dull and hazy. (The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens via AP)

By Associated Press August 3, 2017 2 min read

SAN MARINO, Calif. (AP) – “Blue Boy” isn’t quite as blue as he once was – and that isn’t a good thing for one of the world’s most recognizable paintings.

To restore its luster, the 18th century masterpiece by British painter Thomas Gainsborough, featuring a British youth dressed nearly all in blue, will undergo a major, two-year restoration beginning next week.

Curators at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, said Thursday they want to revitalize its color and shore up its canvas.

“The original colors now appear hazy and dull, and many of the details are obscured,” Christina O’Connell, senior paintings conservator at The Huntington, said in a statement.

Adhesive that binds the canvas to its lining is also failing, and some of the work’s paint is beginning to flake off.