Secondary ion mass spectrometry with MeV ions (MeV SIMS) has proven to be very efficient for the determination of the chemical composition of synthetic organic pigments (SOP), dyes, and binders in modern paints and inks. As the only IBA (Ion Beam Analysis) technique that can analyze the molecular composition of organic materials, MeV SIMS is finding increasing application in the fields of cultural heritage, biology/biomedicine, and forensic studies. It is known that the secondary molecular ion yield depends on the type of primary ion beam, the charge state, and the energy, i.e. the electronic stopping power. However, the chemical environment of the analyte has a strong influence on the desorption/ionization yield, about which very little is known in MeV SIMS, especially for the analysis of artists' paints. The proposed research would lead to new insights into how specific pigment-binder systems affect secondary molecular ion yields and to what extent the composition and concentration of the matrix influence the detection of certain pigments in artists' paints.