The use of non-traditional media by the artists of this century poses a new and challenging array of problems for today's conservator.
In sculpture, in particular, modern artists have not only increasingly used new materials and combinations of materials, but have also drawn attention to concepts such as transformation, transience, and even immateriality. The practical implications of these issues for the conservator were considered at a three-day conference held at the Tate Gallery, London, 18-20 September. Sponsored by the Gabo Trust, the Henry Moore Foundation and art transporters Momart, “From marble to chocolate: the conservation of modern sculpture”, gathered an international group of delegates to consider a range of issues, from new surface imaging techniques to the relationships between artists and their fabricators.
Among the speakers were Lynda Zycherman from MoMA, New York, who discussed the problems presented by Fluxus art, in her aptly titled paper, “Is Fluxus fluxing and/or should it be conserved?; and Glenn Wharton, a private conservator from California, who spoke on the conservation of chocolate works of art.
If any conclusions were drawn after three days of papers, the chief one was that the relatively new field of the conservation of modern sculpture presents radically different issues to that of the conservation of traditional works of art. While accepting the conservator's maxim that, whatever the material, interpreting the artist's intention is a fundamental objective, in cases where transient materials are used, this raises several questions for the con-servator of modern works: is retaining original material more important than the artist's concept? Is it ethical to replace degraded or damaged original materials with more stable ones and does this affect the authenticity of the sculpture? What does the conservator do when preservation of the material contradicts the original intention of the artist?
These issues were exemplified in a case study presented by Kees Herman Aben, sculpture conservator at Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum. In this instance the conservator was able to discuss treatment with the artist himself. In 1984 the museum purchased “Dal Miele Alle Ceneri” (“From Honey to Ash”) by the main proponent of Arte Povera, Mario Merz. Seeking to distance itself from consumer society, Arte Povera artists used cheap and often natural materials, and the piece in question consists of a metal frame covered with panels of beeswax and an antelope head. The wax tablets in particular have deteriorated considerably; they have suffered discoloration and have become brittle and breakable. The artist himself is interested in the process of decay, and it was decided, in consultation with Merz, that any broken tablets should be fused together with new wax in such a way that the repairs were clearly visible. Merz felt that the signs of ageing blended and matched well with his work.
In the case of an artist who is deceased, informed, but necessarily subjective, decisions have to be made by conservators and curators. Julie Summers of the Henry Moore Foundation spoke of Moore's interest in the influences of nature on his outdoor bronze sculptures. The Institute advises owners of Moore's works on a case by case basis, sometimes suggesting that a work be left to the ravages of nature, and sometimes that preventive measures be taken to prevent discoloration of the surface of a work. For example, an edition of “Reclining Figure: Arch Leg” (1969-70) installed by the sea in San Diego that originally had a gold or brown patina, is now going green and the owners were advised to let nature take its course and not to intervene. The Foundation's own edition of the work, originally gold, has gone black and will not be cleaned, but a version in Philadelphia retains its original gold patina as it has been lacquered. The Foundation feel Moore would have been happy with the states of all three versions.
Pre-prints of all the papers are published by Archetype Publications (tel: 44(0)171-387 9651). Price £29.50,ISBN 1 873132859.