In April 2013, conservators from EverGreene Architectural Arts uncovered ceiling murals based on Raphael's Vatican frescoes in the lobby of the iconic Sherry-Netherland Hotel that date back to 1927hidden under layers upon layers of white paint. A crack team of 5-10 technicians is currently manually removing the paint, "as carefully as possible to not damage the delicate murals underneath," and touching up the murals so as to match their original appearance. There's a pretty nifty short video of the painstaking process, for all you historic preservation geeks out there. (Spoiler alert: It may involve giant Q-tips.) All told, when we can once again see the ceiling art, put there by 1920s artist Joseph Arutawhose work also graced the Downtown Athletic Club, Bowery Savings Bank, Pennsylvania Hotel, and the Paramount Theatrein spring 2014, it will have taken the experts about 4,000 hours to bring it to the surface.
· Restoring the Ceiling at The Sherry Netherland [YouTube]
· All Sherry-Netherland coverage [Curbed]
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