Lascaux Colours & Restauro

What Lascaux Colours & Restauro does

Lascaux Colours & Restauro is a Swiss manufacturer of water-based artists' paints, painting mediums, and professional conservation materials, founded in 1963 by Alois K. Diethelm and headquartered in Brüttisellen, Switzerland. The company produces highly pigmented acrylic, gouache, tempera, watercolor, and specialty effect colors using a three-roller mill (Dreiwalzenstuhl) process, with proprietary systems including the Sirius five-primary color theory, Crystal interference colors, Resonance bio-activated gouache and interior paint, and the JunFunori archival consolidation medium co-developed with ETH Zurich, EMPA, and the Swiss Landesmuseum. The legal entity Barbara Diethelm AG is family-owned, currently led by Barbara Diethelm, and operates a wholly-owned German sales subsidiary, Lascaux Colours & Restauro Europe GmbH in Konstanz, with reported headcount of 11-50 employees. The product portfolio spans more than 30 color lines plus primers, modeling pastes, impasto gels, varnishes, brushes, screen printing systems, canvases, archival adhesives, and humidification equipment, addressing professional artists, art educators, conservators, architects, printmakers, and art therapists.

Lascaux distributes through three primary channels: a global network of specialist art dealers built since 1963, a direct e-commerce web shop handling B2C and B2B orders, and a factory outlet in Brüttisellen for discontinued and b-stock items. The dealer channel is the primary route to market and is supported with high-quality POS materials including hand-painted color charts. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales of premium artist colors and mediums, with no subscription or licensing component; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed, though shipping thresholds are referenced (e.g., free domestic shipping above CHF 200). The brand is associated with landmark projects for Zaha Hadid (Vitra Fire Station), Sol LeWitt (Haus Konstruktiv Zurich), Niki de Saint Phalle (Zurich Main Station), Centre Pompidou (Picasso enlargement), Jean Nouvel (KKL Luzern), and the Royal Academy of Arts London.

Marketing is led through the company website and online shop, Fondation Lascaux programming, workshops and factory tours, social channels (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook), newsletters, practical video tutorials, and earned media in trade publications. No venture capital or institutional ownership is evidenced, and there are no public financial disclosures. Geographic reach spans Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and the United Kingdom, with the UK and certain non-EU countries excluded from the webshop channel.

Name

Lascaux Colours & Restauro

Legal name

Barbara Diethelm AG

Website

https://lascaux.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lascaux Colours & Restauro is a Swiss family-owned manufacturer (founded 1963) of handmade water-based artists' paints, painting mediums, and conservation materials, serving professional artists, educators, conservators, architects, and art therapists worldwide via a global specialist dealer network, e-commerce, and a German sales subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Colors & Painting Mediums

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Pigments & Dyes (IMAEAHAJ)

Keywords

• Artist acrylic paints
• Painting mediums
• Art restoration products
• Conservation materials
• Screen printing inks

Headquarters

HQ city

Brüttisellen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Artist Colors and Painting Mediums Sales: The primary revenue stream comes from the sale of highly pigmented artist colors including acrylic, gouache, tempera, and effect colors, along with painting mediums such as primers, gels, varnishes, and accessories. Products are sold through e-commerce, factory shop, and specialist dealer network worldwide. Individual product purchases (one-time transactions) with no subscription component.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lascaux develops and manufactures highly pigmented, water-based artists' colours (acrylic, gouache, tempera, watercolor, interference and metallic effect colours), painting mediums (primers, gels, varnishes, additives), and professional conservation and restoration products. Products are handmade in Switzerland using a three-roller mill process and are sold through specialist art dealers worldwide, an e-commerce shop, and a factory outlet.

Product overview

Lascaux Colours & Restauro is a Swiss manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of water-based artists' colors, painting mediums, and conservation products. The product portfolio centers on two main color lines: Lascaux Artist (premium pastose acrylic) and Lascaux Studio Original (versatile universal acrylic), supplemented by specialty lines including metallic (Artist Metallics, Studio Bronze), interference (Crystal), pearlescent (Perlacryl), fluorescent (Neon), watercolor (Aquacryl fluid, Sirius Wasserfarben), gouache/tempera (Gouache, Decora, Resonance Gouache), and screen printing colors (Serigrafia). The Sirius Primary System provides a five-color primary system for both acrylic and watercolor applications. Painting mediums include impregnations, primers, modeling pastes, impasto gels, mediums, additives, and varnishes/fixatives. The Restauro line offers professional conservation products including adhesives, consolidation media (JunFunori, Tylose, Paraloid B72), humidification equipment, and art handling materials. Accessories include artist brushes, screen printing systems, etching products, and canvases. The company operates a factory shop for discontinued items.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lascaux Artist: The pastose artists' colour in 54 pure vibrant hues, semi-matt, from opaque to transparent, lightfast and weather-resistant.
• Lascaux Studio
• Lascaux Artist Metallics
• Lascaux Studio Bronze
• Lascaux Sirius
• Lascaux Crystal
• Lascaux Perlacryl
• Lascaux Neon
• Lascaux Aquacryl
• Lascaux Gouache
• Lascaux Resonance
• Lascaux Decora
• Lascaux Serigrafia
• Lascaux Restauro

Products and services

• Lascaux Artist Premium pastose artists' acrylic colour in 54 pure vibrant hues, semi-matt, ranging from opaque to transparent, with lightfastness and weather resistance for professional fine art applications.
• Lascaux Studio Original Versatile, intense and concentrated premium artists' acrylic colour in 54 hues for all painting techniques, including outdoor applications, designed for professional artists, designers and architects.
• Lascaux Sirius Acrylfarben Unique Sirius Primary System based on five pure and carefully balanced primary colours for effortless mixing of an extensive range of harmonious colours in acrylic.
• Lascaux Crystal Luminous interference colours with incomparable brilliance and depth effects that change with light conditions, suitable for art and architectural applications.
• Lascaux Perlacryl Iridescent pearlescent effects in 16 luminous hues featuring excellent lightfastness and high colour intensity for art and decoration.
• Lascaux Neon Semi-opaque fluorescent colours with powerful luminescence and glow effect under UV/black light for special visual applications.
• Lascaux Aquacryl fluid Highly concentrated transparent watercolour in 24 brilliant hues suitable for classic watercolouring and large-scale glazes.
• Lascaux Gouache Viscous and highly pigmented tempera colour with strong luminance and intense colour depth for art, design and education, available in 34 brilliant hues including silver and gold.
• Lascaux Resonance Gouache Bio-activated gouache with harmonising effect developed with art therapists to promote resonance ability and artistic expression, suitable for art therapy, school and design.
• Lascaux Decora Ready-to-use high-opacity tempera colour for practical use in schools, theatres and studios, available in 18 powerful well-balanced hues.
• Lascaux Serigrafia Pure and highly concentrated colours for solvent-free, water-based screen printing in CMYK and White with excellent mixing properties.
• Lascaux Painting Mediums A range of painting mediums including impregnations (sizings), primers (Gesso), modelling pastes, impasto gels, mediums and additives, varnishes and fixatives for optimal treatment and protection of artworks.
• Lascaux Restauro Professional conservation and restoration product line for paintings and papers, including adhesives, adhesive waxes, starches and celluloses (JunFunori, Tylose), acrylic resins and dispersions, humidification equipment, and art handling materials such as MasterPak shipping boxes.
• Lascaux JunFunori Conservation consolidation medium developed in cooperation with ETH Zurich, EMPA and Landesmuseum, originating from traditional Japanese paper conservation, exclusively manufactured and distributed by Lascaux for restoring old paintings.
• Lascaux Brushes, Inks, Etching and Screen Printing System Artist accessories including high-quality synthetic fibre brushes, solvent-free water-based inks (Wash, Waterproof, Water-soluble, Soft-ground), acrylic ground etching process products, and a screen printing system.
• Lascaux Starter and Gift Sets Practical product sets bundling colour selections, painting mediums, brushes and accessories, ideal for beginners and as gifts, including Limited Edition offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products maintain luminosity and color depth over extended periods due to maximum lightfastness of pigments used (except Neon colors)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fondation LascauxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fondation Lascaux is a separate foundation that explores the effects of colors on thinking and human spiritual development. It organizes lectures, seminars, and exhibitions in Switzerland and abroad, promoting self-reflection and creativity through color. The foundation also publishes books including 'Colours of the Great Heart - Resonating with Sirius' by Barbara Diethelm.
• Katrin Oechsliner (Color Designer and Architect)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColor designer and architect who works with Lascaux to develop custom color tones for architectural projects. Lascaux created colors to specification for the Lavater School in Zurich (2025).
• ETH Zurich / EMPA / LandesmuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative development partnership resulting in JunFunori, a consolidation medium for restoring old paintings. Originally from traditional Japanese paper conservation, the product was developed with these Swiss institutions and is exclusively manufactured and distributed by Lascaux.
• Haus Konstruktiv ZürichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum that collaborates with Lascaux to offer exciting workshops for children and school classes, promoting creative work and encounters with art.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal Talens: Dutch manufacturer of artist paints under Rembrandt, Amsterdam, and Talens brands. Comparable as a long-established European artist paint manufacturer with broader product portfolio across acrylics, oils, and watercolors.
• Lefranc & Bourgeois: French artist paint manufacturer with historic brand and broad portfolio including Fine Acrylic, Huile Extra Fine oils, and designer's gouache. Comparable as a long-established European artist paint maker, though operating with broader category reach.
• Winsor & Newton: Heritage British artist materials manufacturer (Professional Acrylic, Galeria, Artists' Oil Colour) owned by Coloplaer/Fila. Comparable as a broader incumbent in artist paints and mediums, but operating at much larger scale across many product categories beyond acrylics.

Direct peers

• Golden Artist Colors: US-based manufacturer of premium artist acrylic paints (Golden Heavy Body, Fluid, SoFlat) and professional artist materials. Closely comparable as a specialty, professional-focused acrylic paint manufacturer with a similar commitment to pigment quality and limited product range.
• Schmincke: German premium manufacturer of artist paints including Mussini oils, Akademie Acryl, and Horadam watercolors. Highly comparable as a European heritage brand focused on professional-grade pigment quality with a similar artisanal positioning.
• Pebeo: French manufacturer of artist paints including Studio Acrylics and Pébéo XL oils, as well as decorative and mixed-media paints. Comparable as a European artist paint brand with overlapping product categories and focus on creative/experimental segments.
• Liquitex: Iconic professional artist acrylic paint brand (Heavy Body, Soft Body, Professional Spray Paint) owned by Colart. Comparable as a leading manufacturer of water-based artist acrylics targeting professional and student segments globally.
• Maimeri (Maimeri & Figli): Italian manufacturer of artist paints and mediums including Polycolor acrylics, Classico oils, and MaimeriBlu watercolors. Comparable as a heritage European premium paint maker focused on professional artists.
• Da Vinci Paints: US-based family-owned manufacturer of artist paints including professional acrylics, watercolors, and gouache. Comparable as a smaller, premium, artist-focused paint manufacturer with strong watercolor heritage.

Emerging players

• Daniel Smith (Watercolors): US-based premium watercolor and gouache manufacturer with extensive pigment range. Comparable as a specialty artist paint manufacturer focused on pigment quality, though with narrower focus on watercolor rather than full acrylic systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LascauxColours
• Facebookfacebook.com/lascaux.colours
• Instagraminstagram.com/lascaux_colours/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lascaux-colours-restauro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lascaux Colours & Restauro