The Louvre Museum in Paris is undertaking an ambitious restoration of Peter Paul Rubens's monumental cycle of 24 paintings depicting the life of Marie de Médicis. The project, which will take four years and cost €4 million funded by the Société des Amis du Louvre, begins this autumn with the paintings being restored in situ in the Médicis Gallery. The gallery will close in May to prepare the space as a restoration workshop, where two teams of 10–15 restorers will work simultaneously on cleaning, relining, and filling gaps. The last major restoration of the cycle dates to the 1950s, and recent diagnostics revealed yellowed varnish, discordant repaints, and flaking paint layers that risk irreversible loss.
This restoration matters because it addresses both aesthetic and conservation crises in one of the Louvre's most celebrated Baroque cycles. Rubens's vibrant colors—especially the blues and reds—have been severely compromised by oxidation and old restorations, distorting the artist's original intent. The project also sets a precedent for large-scale, in-situ conservation at the Louvre, requiring custom easels and support tables, and extensive imaging (2,944 plates) to guide the work. The gallery's closure for four years underscores the museum's commitment to preserving a masterpiece that is central to French cultural heritage and art history education.