Colalucci, restorer of the Sistine Chapel, died aged 92

by time news

The restorer Gianluigi Colalucci died in Rome at the age of 92. He was the protagonist of the “restoration of the century”, being in contact for almost 15 years with Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Colalucci carried out the restoration himself from 1980 to 1994, removing a layer of age-old dirt made up of the smoke from tallow, wax and soot candles. The announcement of the disappearance was given by the Vatican Museums on Instagram: “Master Gianluigi Colalucci passed away this night. It was he who directed the restoration work on Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, considered by many to be the restoration of the century. Thanks to his courage and talent if today the colors of Michelangelo’s Vault and Last Judgment appear in all their dazzling splendor “.


Born in 1929 in Rome to a family of lawyers, Colalucci graduated from the Central Institute for Restoration in Rome, under the direction of Cesare Brandi. He began his professional activity in the Restoration Laboratory of the National Gallery of Sicily, preserving a large amount of works of art, and later working in Crete and Padua. In 1960 he entered the Paintings Restoration Laboratory of the Vatican Museums and in 1979 he became its chief restorer.

Colalucci’s career took a major turn when shortly after, in 1980, he was appointed head of the restoration of the Sistine Chapel. The massive intervention was completed in 1994 and took place largely under the cameras of the Nippon Television Network Corporation which had provided most of the funds for the construction site (4.2 million dollars) in exchange for the film rights. The long and complex restoration made it possible to reattach the detached pigment parts and to wash the darkened paint with solvents and distilled water to bring out the brilliance of the colors (starting from the lapis lazuli sky).

In 1991 Colalucci was awarded an honorary degree by New York University and in 1995 by the Polytechnic University of Valencia, where he was also a teacher for four years. He has been a lecturer at major universities, institutes and museums in Europe, the United States, Australia and Japan

During his professional career he has worked in the restoration of works of art by important artists such as Raphael, Giotto, Leonardo, Guido Reni, Lorenzo Lotto, Tiziano, Andrea Mantegna, Caravaggio, Guercino, Perin de Vaga, Dosso Dossi.

Among the publications on the restorations he supervised are the scientific texts “Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel. Report on the restoration of the Last Judgment” and “Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel. Report on the restoration of the Vault”. He is the author of the books “Michelangelo. The Last Judgment” (Giunti, 1997), “The Sistine Chapel. The Restored Judgment” (De Agostini Editore, 1998), “Me and Michelangelo. Facts, people, surprises and discoveries of the construction site of restoration of the Sistine Chapel “(24 Ore Cultura Editions, 2015). He was an honorary member of the International Institute of Conservation and of the Cultural Art Educator Museum of Rome, and honorary president of the International Center for the Conservation of Architectural Heritage and of the Asri project (Historical Archive of Italian Restorers).

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