Visitors to Manchester Art Gallery can now witness live work on the Gallery’s most ambitious conservation project ever.

This is the first time in over 100 years that William Etty's masterpiece The Sirens and Ulysses has been on display. Measuring almost 3m by 4.5m, it is one of the largest pictures in the gallery. Its condition has been deteriorating since the 1850s and it has not been on public display since the late 1880s because of its poor state of repair. Attention returned to the painting prior to the re-opening of Manchester Art Gallery in 2002, but the sheer scale of the work required prevented the painting from being included in the redisplay. However, the conservation work commenced in the Gallery’s conservation studios in late 2002 and the painting finally moved to Manchester Art Gallery in March 2006.

Visitors can see the conservators at work in the gallery Tuesday-Friday (depending on schedule) with monthly question and answer sessions about the project. A film shows the progress of the project. Other William Etty works are displayed alongside The Sirens and Ulysses, including his painting Venus and Her Doves (1836) and a self-portrait. Visitors can watch the work in progress from the resource area, enjoy the interactive displays, handle materials and learn more about conservation.

The restoration of the painting is taking place over a period of around 18 months, to be completed in autumn 2007 in time for a major exhibition Art Treasures in Manchester: 150 Years On.

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