57 artworks were damaged in the wake of the port explosion of August 4th, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and ceramics. The entire collection was dusted in the aftermath of the blast, including over a thousand works that had been safely stored in the Sursock Museum's subterranean floors, and which had not been damaged.
In May 2021, the restoration campaign of artworks was launched. Each medium requires a specific kind of restoration, and is handled by a restorer who is well-versed in that medium.
Depending on the extent and nature of the damage, artworks may undergo a number of different restoration processes. Damaged paintings, for instance, may be subjected to filling; retouching; thread-by-thread tear mending. Some paintings which have already been restored even need to be re-restored. The process requires great meticulousness, dexterity, and attention to detail. In some ways, restorers are the art world’s surgeons.