Without them, our world would be lifeless and gray. Colors represent vitality and are the ultimate means of expression. This is especially true in art: from Monet's water lilies to Van Gogh's sunflowers, the iconic masterpieces of art history would be hard to imagine without their characteristic colors. But this is exactly what renowned museums from around the world are now showing: the joint campaign "Last Call For Beauty" of the international foundation Ocean us shows what happens when works of art gradually lose their color. The digital process of bleaching symbolizes and draws attention to the dramatic increase in coral bleaching in the world's oceans, which threatens to destroy this important ecosystem to the point of extinction. Program for the restoration of coral reefs The impressive campaign is part of the Global Coral Restoration project of the international foundation Ocean us. Together with the world's leading marine scientists and experts from other disciplines, the global initiative has developed a concrete plan to rebuild the world's oceans. The foundation's first project, Global Coral Restoration, aims to reverse the projected functional extinction of coral reefs. The ambitious goal is to restore nine million square meters of damaged reefs worldwide by 2030. Linda Neugebauer, founder of Ocean us: „An ocean without functioning coral reefs is unthinkable. They are home to a quarter of all marine species and are essential to the survival of many coastal communities. We now have the opportunity to make a huge collective effort to restore the diversity and richness of the oceans. And to ensure that our world does not continue to lose color, and with it, life." "Bleaching Art" is part of a series of creative actions within the "Last Call for Beauty" campaign, developed by Chema Herrera, Creative Director and Head of Marketing and Communications at Ocean us. The campaign will run until December 2024 and is supported by major international institutions and companies. Chema Herrera, Creative Director of Ocean us, on the campaign he created: "Last Call for Beauty raises the question of how far we are willing to lose beauty. Be it in art, fashion, music, in our lives or on our planet. We all want beauty all the time, in our work, our families, and our vacations. Beauty motivates us to act. And we must act now to avoid losing one of the world's most beautiful ecosystems. The worst thing we can do is simply accept the loss of beauty in all its dimensions on our planet." 11 of the world's most prestigious museums are participating in this impressive campaign with their most emblematic works. These include the Albertina Museum in Vienna with Monet's „Water Lily Pond", the Prado in Madrid with El Greco's famous oil „Portrait of a Nobleman with His Hand on His Chest", and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia with Tiepolo's „Banquet of Cleopatra". The Munch Museum in Oslo contributes the world-famous „The Scream" by expressionist painter Edvard Munch, while the Palace of Versailles has Nocret's „The royal family in Olympus". "I see many commonalities between the preservation of our environment and that of artistic masterpieces. It's a shared struggle to look after the treasures we have inherited, whether natural or created, and which allow us to live, and to live with beauty".Christopher Leribault, President, Palace of Versailles, France"Humankind and nature are inextricably linked: Nature and animals are among humankind's earliest subjects; they have been a recurring, inexhaustible motif in art throughout the millennia. And just like our artistic treasures, nature is fragile and in need of special protection: let's work together to preserve our unique treasures for future generations." Prof. Dr. Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Director General of ALBERTINA, Vienna„Today, more than ever, the mission of museums is to impart knowledge and encourage critical thinking. Raising awareness of issues such as sustainability is one of the priorities of the Thysen-Bornemisza Museum's purpose, and our art collection is an...

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