Lecture | Lessons in Paint: Joan Mitchell Conservation Research
Date & Time
Thu. Dec. 11, 2025
6:30 PM-7:30 PM
This event has passed
Location Main Campus | Law Building
Parking at Beck Garage
Drop off at Beck Building
Email Your Questions [email protected]
Lecture | Lessons in Paint: Joan Mitchell Conservation Research
Date & Time
Thu. Dec. 11, 2025
6:30 PM-7:30 PM
This event has passed
Location Main Campus | Law Building
Parking at Beck Garage
Drop off at Beck Building
Every painting tells a story—and sometimes, the most fascinating chapters lie beneath the surface.
The MFAH conservation department invites you to take a closer look at the art and science behind Joan Mitchell’s powerful abstractions. Known for her bold color, emotional intensity, and expressive brushwork, Mitchell painted with a fierce physicality that left traces of her process embedded in every layer of paint. Now, conservators, imaging specialists, and scientists at the MFAH are uncovering those stories.
Through advanced imaging, material analysis, and careful study of Mitchell’s techniques, the MFAH conservation team is revealing how the artist mixed and layered her colors, how the canvases evolved over time, and how her materials have aged. These discoveries not only deepen our understanding of Mitchell’s creative process but also guide the ongoing care and preservation of her work for future generations.
Conservation is more than preservation at the MFAH—it is a partnership between art and science, where curiosity drives discovery. In the lab, conservators collaborate with curators, scientists, and art historians to piece together the living history of art, ensuring that masterpieces like Mitchell’s continue to inspire with the same vitality and energy she poured into them decades ago.
Plan Your Visit
- Included with Museum admission, this event is presented in conjunction with Celebrating Joan Mitchell.
- The lecture takes place in Brown Auditorium Theater on the lower level of the Law Building. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Register to view live via Zoom.
- Parking Information | Museum Hours | MFAH Campus Map
About the Speakers
Per Knutås is head of conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He previously served as chief conservator at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) and the Cincinnati Art Museum. He has both a Paintings Conservation degree from the School of Conservation at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen, and an MSc from Western Reserve University. Knutås has also worked at the Moderna Museet, the Swedish National Heritage Board, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Per Knutås is head of conservation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He previously served as chief conservator at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) and the Cincinnati Art Museum. He has both a Paintings Conservation degree from the School of Conservation at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen, and an MSc from Western Reserve University. Knutås has also worked at the Moderna Museet, the Swedish National Heritage Board, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Nikita Shah is the assistant conservator of paintings at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She earned an MA in Art Conservation from the National Museum Institute in New Delhi, India, and an MS in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage from the University of Amsterdam. Prior to joining the MFAH, Shah held various internships and fellowships at J Paul Getty Museum, Yale University Art Gallery, and Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (Maastricht, The Netherlands).
Stephen Hanley is a conservation imaging specialist at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He holds a PhD in Art History from the University of York, U.K. and an MA in Fine Art from the University of Edinburgh. Prior to working at the MFAH, he held fellowships at the University of York, where he also taught for five years, and the Courtauld institute, London.
Email Your Questions [email protected]
Learning and Interpretation programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, receive generous support from H-E-B; Sempra Foundation; the Brown Foundation, Inc.; the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; the Joe Barnhart Foundation; the Cockrell Family Fund; the CFP Foundation; the Claire & Theodore Morse Foundation; the Junior League of Houston, Inc.; and additional generous donors.
Endowment funds are provided by the Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest; Caroline Wiess Law; Windgate Foundation; the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; the Fondren Foundation; BMC Software, Inc.; the Wallace Foundation; the Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund; the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation; Medha and Shashank Karve; Virginia and Ira Jackson; Jesse H. Jones II; the CFP Foundation; the Favrot Fund; gifts in memory of John Wynne; Neiman Marcus Youth Arts Education; gifts in memory of Peter Lotz; and gifts in honor of Beth Schneider.
Endowment funds are provided by the Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest; Caroline Wiess Law; Windgate Foundation; the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; the Fondren Foundation; BMC Software, Inc.; the Wallace Foundation; the Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund; the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation; Medha and Shashank Karve; Virginia and Ira Jackson; Jesse H. Jones II; the CFP Foundation; the Favrot Fund; gifts in memory of John Wynne; Neiman Marcus Youth Arts Education; gifts in memory of Peter Lotz; and gifts in honor of Beth Schneider.