The Back of the Painting: Secrets and stories from art conservation

The seal of the Prince of Yugoslavia, the icon that protected persecuted Russians, Monet’s repurposed canvas, the excised first wife, the stolen Tissot . . . all these stories can be found on the backs of paintings in New Zealand art museums.

This fascinating book by three painting conservators explores the backs of thirty-three paintings, ranging from fourteenth-century artworks to the present day and held in the collections of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

Join them on their art-detective explorations.