Adhesive backing on original artwork

[GreenManic]

Hi y'all,

An original artwork that has previously been framed has rolled into the shop; the frame has been damaged and I've been asked to sort it. The artwork is oil-on-board (3mm card & canvas), an original work by a local artist: likely not worth a mint right now, but definitely a one-off piece and clearly treasured by the owner. Thing is, the previous framer seems to have used either spray adhesive or something akin to wallpaper paste to glue it to a mountboard (which is also damaged), then used about three yards of double-sided tape to stick it to the back of a window mount. Just by the by, the bevel cuts on the window mount are also janky as hell.

So, question: is there any way to extract the artwork from the mountboard without doing irreparable damage? Is the piece effectively just wrecked? Or if so the best thing to just do the best job I can (no other way than a bodge, even with the greatest care taken), and try to hide the hell that lies beneath?

If nothing can be done (and it is a forlorn hope), anyone got tips on breaking bad news to a heartbroken customer? Of course, any other advice regarding how to best salvage the situation will be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

[JKX]

The window mount can be removed without damage to the front of the artwork by deeply scoring the corners, inner to outer and peeling the board away from the image. The board is made of layers so you don't have to do each side in one hit.

Same applies to the board it's stuck to, flip it over and peel it away layer by layer until you get to the back of the board the oil is on, plus no doubt a lot of residue.

A heat gun and a bit of teasing with a flat blade may also free the whole thing from the backing board.

[GreenManic]

The window mount can be removed without damage to the front of the artwork by deeply scoring the corners, inner to outer and peeling the board away from the image. The board is made of layers so you don't have to do each side in one hit.

Same applies to the board it's stuck to, flip it over and peel it away layer by layer until you get to the back of the board the oil is on, plus no doubt a lot of residue.

A heat gun and a bit of teasing with a flat blade may also free the whole thing from the backing board.

Layers! That's likely the way forward, thank you very much. It'll clearly always be damaged, whatever I do: from what I can see the adhesive was applied very haphazardly, I might just have to leave the top layer of the backing mount on (so long as it's more or less a uniform depth) and guillotine what's left around to the size of the artwork. Certainly don't want to risk ripping into the card at the back of the painting.

Cheers again, the advice is greatly appreciated