Pinin Brambilla Barcilon is one of the most important restorers of the 20th century, known the world over for having directed the restoration of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan, and for works on many of the major masterpieces of Italian art.
The archive consists of the documentation (mostly photographic) produced by Pinin Brambilla Barcilon throughout her career as restorer (1954-2016). The papers were kept at her Workshop in Milan until June 2017, when they were moved to the Centro Conservazione e Restauro "La Venaria Reale", with the support of Ra.Mo S.p.A.
After completing the census, the collection was found to comprise more than 50,000 phototypes, in addition to reports, scientific analyses, notes and materials regarding her studies.
The archive is an extraordinary heritage of information and documentation on the history of restoration in Italy from the 1950s to the present day.
The sorting, cataloguing and treatment of the documentary material is still in progress. After this phase of the works, the materials will be made available to academics, in accordance with their particular conservation requirements.