MUSEUM DOES SOMETHING ABOUT ITS WEATHER
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VIENNA — The Austrian government has approved a $122.7-million program to renovate Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum and save its works of art.
The plan approved by the Austrian Cabinet on Tuesday will allow the museum, one of the world’s greatest, to install air conditioning equipment to maintain the climate control necessary to prevent many of the paintings from badly deteriorating.
The new equipment is expected to be especially helpful in preserving paintings on wood, including masterpieces by Breugel and Durer that have developed cracks in the paint because of variations in temperature and humidity.
Economics Minister Robert Graff said that the money would be loaned to the government by a banking consortium. The loan also will cover improvements to other Vienna museums, the government announcement said.
In addition to the installation of air conditioning and humidification equipment, the Kunsthistorisches will gain a new elevator for museumgoers and a restaurant.
“We are fortunate in that we already had plans prepared for the work,” said Hermann Fillitz, the museum’s director. “We don’t have to wait.”
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