The July 2010 experts meeting on the Ghent Altarpiece

In July 2010, a committee of experts led by Anne van Grevenstein-Kruse and Ron Spronk met in St. Bavo Catheral in Ghent, Belgium to assess the physical condition of the work of art sometimes called “The Adoration of the Lamb” but most commonly known as the Ghent Altarpiece. Peter Schjeldahl was one of the reporters who was permitted to observe the meeting. In the November 29, 2010 issue of The New Yorker in his article “The Flip Side”, he provides a report of that meeting. More than that, he provides an amazing description of the physical nature of the work and how it was created, discusses the provenance of the piece and the problems of old restorations, and writes what amounts to a mini-profile of George Bisacca’s work with panel paintings including Albrecht Durer’s “Adam” and “Eve”. The return of those same two paintings to view in the Prado after their two-year restoration is noted in the November 27, 2010 issue of The New York Times.