INDIANAPOLIS, IN.- A new exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art offers a never-before-seen side of the Museum’s collection.

On the Flip Side: Secrets on the Backs of Paintings provides a rare 360 degree view of five paintings by American and European artists, including works by Indiana painters T.C. Steele and Wayman Adams. The backs of paintings often contain important details about the history, composition and condition of the work. Generally hidden from the public eye, these surfaces are examined by curators, conservators and conservation scientists to uncover information about previous owners or learn more about how a painting was created.

“Part of what art historians are trained to do is detective work,” said Dr. Annette D. Schlagenhauff, the IMA’s curator of special projects and lead provenance researcher. “We aim to create a seamless chain of owners that goes back to when the work was created, and the back of the painting can offer clues. Owners would often mark their works with personal stamps or seals, and these sometimes need to be deciphered. It’s exhilarating to uncover previously hidden facts and stories about an artwork, and I’m thrilled to be able to share this experience with our guests.”

On the Flip Side is the first of three exhibitions in a new series that explores the high-tech sleuthing that goes on behind-the-scenes at the IMA. The series, CSI: Conservation Science Indianapolis, is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Subsequent exhibitions slated for 2016 and 2017 will examine how imaging technologies are used to learn more about paintings, and how the history of dyes and pigments is closely linked to the history of chemistry.

“The arts and sciences are often seen as disparate fields with no common ground,” said Dr. Gregory Dale Smith, the IMA’s Otto N. Frenzel III Senior Conservation Scientist. “With the CSI series, we seek to educate visitors about the rich interface between the two fields, and illustrate how technology and chemistry play a role in studying and conserving artworks. This exhibition is the perfect complement to any STEAM (STEM + Art) curriculum, and we look forward to hosting students and sharing how science and art intersect at the IMA.”

Museum visitors can also play detective with the exhibition’s CSI Interactive Table, designed for children ages 6-12. Participants will help to solve a museum mystery by discovering clues to determine the artist, owner and materials used in an artwork.

The exhibition runs until Oct. 30, 2016.