AIC's 43rd Annual Meeting

Untitled by Richard Serra, 1968, is an oversize sculpture consisting of three overlapping panels that were made from mixed latex rubber and Liquitex acrylic paint, cast from a corrugated metal door. It was acquired by the Saint Louis Art Museum in 1971, adding to the rich holdings of Serra work in Saint Louis. The sculpture received conservation treatment twice since acquisition, first in 2004 and next in 2014 by the author. Prior to the 2004 treatment, the rubber was very brittle, had numerous losses, and the form of the sculpture changed significantly from its original appearance. Museum staff interviewed the artist at this time to garner his input about the changed appearance of the sculpture and potential conservation treatment. Input from this conversation guided the treatment of the work, which involved applying patches of dyed cheesecloth to the top side of the panels with methylcellulose. After exhibition, the work was stored rolled on tubes and was not shown again until 2013, when it was requested for the opening exhibition in the museum’s building expansion. Given the size of the work (nearly 20 x 12 feet installed) and tight timeline for the reinstallation, it was not possible to examine the work prior to installation. None of the current curatorial, installation, or objects conservation staff had seen or installed the work before, so the installation was an intense period of learning about the condition of the work and the efficacy of the previous treatment. A significant amount of new breaks and losses occurred since 2004. The dyes of the cheesecloth patches appeared to have discolored and were no longer visually acceptable. Time constraints led to the decision not to attempt a treatment during installation, but instead to mask the new damage and discolored patches by swapping the arrangement of the panels at the artist’s suggestion and placing loose toned fabric under the visible areas of loss. Installation required balancing theoretical best practices for art handling and practical considerations for moving an oversize work through the building. Prior to the deinstallation of the work in 2014, the gallery was closed early and the sculpture was treated in situ. Working in close collaboration with installation staff, the panels were patched with undyed cheesecloth and methylcellulose on the back side using a modified technique and the 2004 patches were removed from the front. New flat storage was designed with custom crates, reducing the mechanical pressure exerted on the work from the previous rolled storage. The project enabled the opportunity to evaluate the aging properties of a novel treatment approach for rubber artworks and refine the treatment procedure. Although the time constraints during installation prevented interventive treatment at that time, delaying the treatment enabled staff to spend more time studying the work while it was on view and formulate a treatment plan. In this instance, an initial limitation made the eventual treatment more informed and thoughtful.