Blog icon

The challenge

Producing an effective and safe varnish for artwork

MS2A was the revered varnish of choice for the art conservators globally for more than 50 years. In 2014, the company producing the varnish ceased trading. Conservators across the world kept experimenting with interleaving layers of available resins, but failed to achieve consistent results. This compounded the health, safety and environmental concerns associated with the use of carcinogenic chemicals during the varnish application process and the risk of irreversible damage to valuable artwork across the globe.

Our response

MS3

We worked in close collaboration with NGV and local specialist chemical manufacturer Boron to develop and produce MS3. The team leveraged interdisciplinary expertise in chemical synthesis and continuous flow chemistry to deliver an improved quality version of the original MS2A varnish. Superior processing gave the resin its improved colour, chemical stability, and consistency between batches, resulting in minimal discolouration or cracking over time. Keeping the customer at the heart of innovation led the team to progress from proof of concept to market within a span of only three years.

The results

Responsible conservation of painting and consumer trust

MS3 provides a stable, consistent, safe-to-use and aesthetically appropriate varnish solution that addresses the practical challenges of responsibly conserving paintings for the future through the application of improved processing technology. Unrestricted access to the new varnish has also led to renewed consumer confidence.

The varnish has received highly positive feedback from the world’s most important art museums and galleries in Australia and internationally, and is being applied on famous collections like Rembrandt’s Two Old Men Disputing and van Dyck’s portrait Philip Herbert, the 4th Earl of Pembroke.

The project’s benefit cost ratio is assessed at 5–19.5 (dependent upon the adoption profile). The work has delivered a net present value of $3.6–14.4 million with our attribution of 40 per cent.

Report Links

Contact us

Find out how we can help you and your business. Get in touch using the form below and our experts will get in contact soon!

CSIRO will handle your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our Privacy Policy.


This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

First name must be filled in

Surname must be filled in

I am representing *

Please choose an option

Please provide a subject for the enquriy

0 / 100

We'll need to know what you want to contact us about so we can give you an answer

0 / 1900

You shouldn't be able to see this field. Please try again and leave the field blank.