Really reversible conservation

According to an article in The New York Times (“A Return for Rothko’s Harvard Murals”, by Hilarie M. Sheets, October 26, 2014),when the newly renovated Harvard Art Museums open on November 16, 2014, among the works on display will be the five paintings by Mark Rothko which comprise the mural cycle he painted for the university’s Holyoke Center in 1962. While on display, these badly faded paintings will be restored to their original colors with projections of carefully calibrated colored light. When the projectors are turned off– as they will be for one hour each day so that visitors can make comparisons– the canvases will revert to their faded selves. Now, that’s easily reversible conservation!