Getty Completes Conservation of Rescued Artemisia Gentileschi Painting

The J. Paul Getty Museum presents Artemisia’s Strong Women: Rescuing a Masterpiece, an exhibition celebrating the completion of a complex, three-year conservation treatment of Hercules and Omphale, a previously unknown painting by Artemisia Gentileschi which survived a massive explosion in Beirut in 2020.

On view in the Getty Center Museum’s East Pavilion gallery 206 from June 10 through September 14, 2025, Hercules and Omphale will be displayed alongside other paintings by Gentileschi that highlight her skill in portraying donne forti or “strong women.”

“Arguably the most celebrated female artist of 17th-century Italy, the rediscovery of Gentileschi’s Hercules and Omphale in Beirut was a momentous occasion for art historians around the world,” says Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. “We are grateful to the Sursock Palace for entrusting us to restore this masterpiece to its full glory and present it in the Museum’s galleries before it returns home.”

On August 4, 2020, a double explosion in the port of Beirut devastated the city, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people and causing massive property damage, including the historic 19th-century mansion and cultural heritage site Sursock Palace. After the explosion, Lebanese art historian Gregory Buchakjian published an article about the city’s cultural heritage loss and attributed a painting in the Palace’s collection to Gentileschi. The painting, Hercules and Omphale, had severe damage, holes, and tears caused by glass, plaster, and other debris. It was sent to the Getty in 2022 for conservation treatment.

When Hercules and Omphale arrived at Getty, senior conservator of paintings Ulrich Birkmaier performed a comprehensive technical examination in conjunction with the Getty Conservation Institute to address both structural and aesthetic issues and developed a conservation plan. He collaborated with Rome-based conservator Matteo Rossi Doria to reline the back of the painting, attaching a new reinforcement to its original canvas with a wooden stretcher for added flexibility as it continues to age and respond to changes in temperature and humidity. After removing debris from the explosion, Birkmaier removed varnish and old restorations, which gave the painting back its original color palette, and continued with the reconstruction of paint losses. X-ray analysis elucidated Artemisia’s painting process used to create the iconic painting.

“In my over 30-year career as a paintings conservator, this is some of the worst damage I have ever witnessed and was one of the most challenging yet rewarding projects I’ve had the pleasure to work on,” says Birkmaier. “It was sort of like assembling a massive puzzle—little by little the painting came back to life. X-ray analysis not only served to visualize some of the changes Artemisia made during the painting process, but it also aided in the visual reconstruction of some details that were lost in the explosion when glass and debris shattered multiple areas of the painting.”

Known for her ambitious narrative scenes from ancient history, classical mythology, and the Bible, Gentileschi’s Hercules and Omphale depicts the Greek myth of Hercules enslaved by Omphale, the Queen of Lydia who forces him to do women’s work as punishment for accidentally killing Iphitus. Seated at the center of the painting amid the queen’s maidens, Hercules holds a spindle of wool while Omphale triumphantly wears Hercules’ skin of the slayed Nemean lion while holding his wooden club. Gazing at each other, the scene marks the moment when the queen and hero fell in love, as Cupid gleefully watches at the hero’s feet. With its inverted sexual roles, the painting’s theme inspired 17th-century writers and artists to explore issues of gender and power.

Other paintings presented alongside Hercules and Omphale in Getty’s display include Bathsheba and David from the Columbus Museum of Art, Susanna and the Elders, Self-Portrait as a Martyr, and Getty’s recently acquired Lucretia.

“We believe Hercules and Omphale was painted in 1630s Naples, where Artemisia relocated in 1630 and lived for the rest of her life. This final segment of her career has been often overlooked and considered a moment of decline in Gentileschi’s creative force,” says Davide Gasparotto, senior curator of paintings at the Getty Museum. “On the contrary, Artemisia responded with great business acumen to the challenges of the very competitive Neapolitan environment, adopting a successful branding strategy and a highly innovative workshop practice, which allowed her to broaden her production in terms of scale, ambition, and subject matter.”

As part of its efforts to restore Beirut’s cultural heritage, UNESCO launched LiBeirut in 2021, which includes extensive efforts to restore Sursock Palace that suffered significant damage.

“Situated in the heart of Beirut, Sursock Palace is a feat of Lebanese architecture, and its survival represents the strength of the community in Beirut as the city continues to rebuild,” says Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General. “We are glad Hercules and Omphale found a temporary home in Los Angeles while the Sursock Palace is restored.”

Following Getty’s display, Hercules and Omphale will travel to the Columbus Museum of Art for an exhibition on display from October 31, 2025 to May 30, 2026. The painting will return to Getty in summer 2026 as a long-term loan before returning to Sursock Palace.

Complementing Getty’s display are two free public lectures, including a conversation on June 14 with Giulia Sissa, Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Classics and Political Science at UCLA, who will dive into the topic of women in antiquity. On July 19, a conversation led by curator Davide Gasparotto will focus on Gentileschi’s career in Naples. Curator-led tours of the display will take place on select dates, free with a reservation. On July 24, Gasparotto and Birkmaier will lead an online talk for 92nd Street Y about the history and conservation of Hercules and Omphale.