The Back of the Painting

Te Papa Press, 2021.

Behind the scenes with the experts on famous paintings. The seal of the Prince of Yugoslavia, the icon that protected persecuted Russians, Monets repurposed canvas, the excised first wife, the stolen Tissot ... all these stories can be found on the backs of paintings in New Zealand art museums.

This fascinating book by three painting conservators explores the backs of 33 paintings, ranging from 15th century artworks to the present day, from Claude Lorrain to Ralph Hotere, and held in the collections of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Join them on their art-detective explorations.