The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has been named as a beneficiary of the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund 2026, an initiative sponsored by The European Fine Art Foundation together with Bank of America, Lead Partner of TEFAF New York. The joint contribution of the fund and the Bank of America Art Conservation Project™ concerns the conservation of the Italian Renaissance tapestry The Meeting of Dante and Virgil, a 16th-century work considered to be of particular rarity and historical significance. It is the only antique Medici tapestry preserved in a public collection outside of Italy.
The TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund, established in 2012, supports conservation interventions and scientific research activities on works preserved in public collections. The 2026 edition marks the first occasion in which the fund is earmarked for the restoration of a tapestry, thus expanding the program’s scope of intervention. The Minneapolis Institute of Art maintains a collection that spans some 5,000 years of history and includes one of the most significant tapestry collections in the United States, consisting of 41 examples. The Meeting of Dante and Virgil is considered among the museum’s most significant Renaissance works and, in the U.S. context, is referred to as the most important Italian Renaissance tapestry in the country. The work measures 5.3 meters and is part of a core collection documenting European textile production.
The making of the tapestry is linked to the Florentine workshop founded in 1545 at the behest of Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, with the aim of competing with major European weaving centers, particularly Brussels. Master weaver Jan Rost, who came from the Flemish city itself, was brought in to start production. The tapestry’s decorative design and preparatory cartoons were made by the painter Francesco Salviati (1510-1563) between 1546 and 1548. The weaving took place between 1547 and 1549, an early stage in the development of Medici tapestry production.
The conservation condition of the work is compromised by structural weaknesses, textural losses and particularly fragile areas of silk. For these reasons, the tapestry has not been exhibited recently. The restoration work will be entrusted to the Midwest Art Conservation Center and will involve wet cleaning, stabilization, selective reweaving of damaged parts, and the creation of a new support system. This system is designed to allow for future safe presentation. The return of the work to public use is planned for summer 2026. In parallel with the conservation work, the museum has developed a modular exhibition structure designed to allow for possible loans of the tapestry to other institutions, ensuring controlled conditions of transport and installation.
The project is part of TEFAF’s partnership with the Bank of America Art Conservation Project. In 2025, the partnership had supported the restoration of the Black Book of Hours at The Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York. The Minneapolis Institute of Art has also already collaborated with Bank of America on four other conservation projects. The most recent involves the Pillsbury Owl, a Shang Dynasty bronze ritual vase, dated to about 3,000 years ago, recently returned to public view.
In addition, the exhibition program includes the exhibition Back from the Underworld: Mia’s Dante Tapestry Restored, scheduled from July 11, 2026 to January 31, 2027. As part of the public activities related to the project, TEFAF will also organize a TEFAF Talk in collaboration with ICOM-CC. The talk, entitled Behind the Threads: Restoring a Renaissance Tapestry, is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 5 to 6 p.m. (EDT), at TEFAF New York. The initiative will bring together experts in conservation, materials science, and museum curatorship to explore the restoration of the tapestry The Meeting of Dante and Virgil and the issues involved in the conservation of large-format textiles. The discussion will be moderated by Carolyn Riccardelli and will focus on applied conservation techniques and the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in the recovery and subsequent public accessibility of fragile works. Access to the meeting will be free for TEFAF ticket holders, with registration available through the organization’s official channels.
“The joint support of TMRF and Bank of America makes this ambitious project possible,” said Max Bryant, James Ford Bell Associate Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture at Mia. “Bringing a work of this scale and importance back to the public is a significant moment for the museum and for all visitors interested in Renaissance art.”
“For more than 15 years, the Bank of America Art Conservation Project has helped preserve culturally significant works around the world and right here in Minneapolis,” said Lucas Giambelluca, president of Bank of America Twin Cities. “We are delighted to renew our partnerships with TEFAF and Mia to help restore this extraordinary tapestry and deepen our understanding of it.”
“TMRF’s mission is to safeguard significant works of art and ensure their preservation for future generations,” added Rachel Kaminsky, head of the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund committee. “We are proud to partner with Mia and Bank of America to bring ’The Meeting of Dante and Virgil’ back to public enjoyment, where its historical significance and artistic splendor can once again be appreciated by all.”
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| TEFAF and Bank of America fund restoration of rare Medici tapestry at Minneapolis Institute |
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