Barry Bauman, an art conservator, will present his lecture titled “The Conservation of Paintings: Historical and Technical Discoveries” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Tarble Arts Center.

The lecture will celebrate Bauman’s restoration of paintings of Charles Morton, which were donated to Tarble earlier this year by Charleston Cemeteries Inc. Charleston is named after Morton.

Bauman said conserving art is important because it can aid in uncovering unknown information.

“The conservation and restoration of art can sometimes be a subject of drama,” he said. “Each artwork that needs restoring carries within it, like a Chinese box, layer after layer of meaning – sometimes obscured, puzzling or distorted. It is the conservator’s job to understand and reveal what the master painter set down or intended.”

In the past, Bauman has discovered hidden signatures, dates and whole paintings underneath other pieces. His treatment of a portrait of Mary Lincoln was featured on the front page of The New York Times in 2012.

Bauman founded the Chicago Conservation Center in 1983 and served as its director for 20 years. Prior to the founding of the center, Bauman served in the conservation department of the Art Institute of Chicago for 11 years. In 2003, Bauman left the Chicago Conservation Center in order to offer conservations services to museums and non-profit organizations exclusively.

Samantha Middendorf can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].

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