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The secret lives of paintings

802,981 views | Maurizio Seracini • TEDGlobal 2012

Art history is far from set in stone. Engineer Maurizio Seracini spent 30 years searching for Leonardo da Vinci's lost fresco "The Battle of Anghiari," and in the process discovered that many paintings have layers of history hidden underneath. Should they be part of the viewing experience too?

Art history is far from set in stone. Engineer Maurizio Seracini spent 30 years searching for Leonardo da Vinci's lost fresco "The Battle of Anghiari," and in the process discovered that many paintings have layers of history hidden underneath. Should they be part of the viewing experience too?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Maurizio Seracini

Art diagnostician

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Maurizio Seracini uses advanced tools common in engineering and medical labs to unravel centuries-old mysteries of art.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.