Art Chowder March | April, Issue 20 | Page 42

Las Meninas before cleaning M odestini describes her first encounter with John Brealey in his new position as chairman of conservation at the Metropolitan Museum in 1975: “[He] … found me preparing to clean a painting flat on the table; he told me, not unkindly, that I was using the wrong approach. Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) Las Meninas 1656 oil on canvas 125 x 109” Museo del Prado, Madrid After cleaning by John Brealey in 1984. 42 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE