In 2001, two life-size animal portraits,Rhinoceros(1740) andLion(1752), by French master Jean-Baptiste Oudry were recovered from the basement of a German museum where they had been stored for over a century. The years of neglect had taken a dramatic toll on the paintings, which were creased, torn, and deeply scarred. In 2003, the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Staatliches Museum Schwerin were able to transport these treasures to the Getty Center for an ambitious conservation partnership.
In the DVDThe Painter’s Voice: The Restoration of Two Master Paintings, acclaimed filmmaker William Friedkin, working with editor Darrin Navarro, follows the painstaking efforts of J. Paul Getty Museum conservators Mark Leonard and Tiarna Doherty to restore Oudry’s original vision toRhinocerosandLion. These works, two of Oudry’s largest, most resplendent paintings, were part of the exhibitionOudry’s Painted Menagerieheld at the J. Paul Getty Museum, May 1–September 2, 2007.
William Friedkin is the director ofThe ExorcistandThe French Connection, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director. His recent films includeRules of Engagement,The Hunted, andBug.
![The Painter's Voice: The Restoration of Two Master Paintings [DVD video]](/itemImage/2/5/2/4/2_5239124.jpg "The Painter's Voice: The Restoration of Two Master Paintings [DVD video]")