In March the Rothko Chapel in Houston, TX closed for renovation in advance of its 50th anniversary in 2021. According to an article by James Graff in February 28, 2019 issue of The Wall Street Journal (“Push to preserve a Mark Rothko masterpiece”), under the original lighting conditions in the chapel, the paintings were lost in glare and after work on the building in 1999 closed much of its skylight, the paintings were lost in the dark. In the current renovation, lighting designer George Sexton will open the skylight but will use a special glass that filters some of the sunlight and a set of louvers to direct the light. On dark days and evenings, hidden video projectors will be used to direct just the right amount of light onto the paintings so they look as they should. Sometimes it is light that is needed to restore the appearance of a work of art. #conservationinthenews