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The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines comprises of four oil paintings on canvas executed by Philippine National Artist Carlos V. Francisco in 1953, which were commissioned for the main entrance hall of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. The Hospital's entrance hall opens directly onto the outdoor environment. With air pollution and pedestrian traffic through the hospital, combined with termite infestation and minor incidents of vandalism, the paintings began to exhibit signs of severe deterioration, such that restoration was performed in 1974, then again in 1991 and in 2006. Nevertheless, the condition of the paintings continued to worsen. This gave rise to the idea of transferring the original paintings to a special gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines, in exchange for high-quality reproductions that would take their place at the hospital entrance. Such an initiative would be unprecedented in the Philippines, but was made possible by the shared recognition of all stakeholders that the paintings were highly significant. This paper describes how a collaborative approach to a large-scale conservation project has led to increased recognition of and support for the conservation department at the National Museum of the Philippines.

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The City Library in Malmo, Sweden

via reddit

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Horseshoe Bend - Arizona - USA (by Jaime Pérez) 

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The Spoliarium by Juan Luna, 19th Century.

The painting features a glimpse of Roman history centered on the bloody carnage brought by gladiatorial matches. Spoliarium is a Latin word referring to the basement of the Roman Colosseum where the fallen and dying gladiators are dumped and devoid of their worldly possessions.

At the center of Luna’s painting are fallen gladiators being dragged by Roman soldiers. On the left, spectators ardently await their chance to strip off the combatants of their metal helmets and other armory. In contrast with the charged emotions featured on the left, the right side meanwhile presents a somber mood. An old man carries a torch perhaps searching for his son while a woman weeps the death of her loved one.

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Berin, Germany

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Hot air balloon over Waverley, Surrey, England

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The Philippines National Museum of Fine Arts

The National Museum of Fine Arts, formerly called the National Art Gallery, is housed in the old Legislative Building. The building was originally intended as a public library as proposed in Daniel Burnham's 1905 Plan for Manila. Designed by Ralph Harrington Doane, the American consulting architect of the Bureau of Public Works, and his assistant Antonio Toledo. Construction of the building began in 1918 and completed in 1921.