What lies behind product names such as "special white" (“Spezialweiß”) or "special black" (“Spezialschwarz”), and can we find them in his paintings?

We also want to find out whether his experiments with painting techniques at Kurt Herberts’ laboratory in Wuppertal were successful: Did the materials he tested there become established as new, innovative materials in his painting practice after the end of the war? Or were they just a temporary – and perhaps inferior – substitute for traditional materials, to be quickly abandoned after the war?

Conservation science questions

As conservators, we naturally also ask ourselves how we can best preserve Baumeister’s paintings: Do we perhaps need new ideas for this as well? Are they particularly fragile or sensitive to light? What must be considered when they are stored? How do the large amounts of plasticizers in Baumeister's paint layers affect their long-term preservation and possible conservation measures?