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With the Watts collection moving into storage for the restoration of it's unique, purpose built Arts & Crafts Gallery, one task requiring detailed precision was the removal of one of the gallery's largest paintings.
This had literally been set into the wall. Expert handling was required to safely extract it. Then, it was manoeuvred towards a concealed ‘hole’ in the concrete gallery wall. Although built for the evacuation of large paintings, this was the first time in more than a hundred years that the thin incision had been revealed.
Michael Festenstein, MD of OES, recalls, "Although maybe not quite so exciting, we knew how Howard Carter felt when the tomb of Tutankhamen was opened. Aspects of this project have been quite unique - a tremendously enjoyable challenge. We look forward to the re-installation of the gallery in 2010."