AIC's 43rd Annual Meeting

Fire damage to an artwork can result in a range of complex condition issues, from soot accumulation to blistered paint to the tenacious odor of smoke. Modern Art Conservation’s experience working with a private art collection caught in a single apartment fire unveiled remarkable variation and severity from piece to piece. We use this collection as a case study in exploring the variables inherent to the conservation of fire damaged artworks. The study places particular emphasis upon the efficacy of traditional and non-traditional treatments and materials, ranging from “spit cleaning” to use of materials introduced in the Cleaning Acrylic Painted Surfaces (CAPS) workshops to atomic oxygen treatments executed in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The unique condition of each work called for creative conservation solutions. With most unfortunate timing, the insurance policy on the collection had recently lapsed and a number of pieces were damaged beyond their respective monetary values. Yet the artworks retained great sentimental value for the owners, whose primary concern was to see the collection restored to their home. The lack of an insurance intermediary proved a benefit at times, allowing conservators greater freedom to consult directly with the client in developing a treatment protocol that occasionally encompassed experimental and non-traditional methods. The collection also contained several works of high market value, including a painting by Joan Mitchell. The work was quite damaged and particularly fragile, but the owners and the conservators were cautiously optimistic that the work could be restored. Experimentation with other pieces from the collection served as preliminary studies in our preparations to treat the Mitchell. After much council, creativity and trial we approached Joan Mitchell's work. The treatment proved a success and our team was able to save all but two works in a collection of over 100 pieces. Our discussion is comprised of three primary sections: 1) the examination and identification of the collection's damage, both in the form of loss and as an accumulation of unwanted materials; 2) our selection and application of traditional conservation techniques, as well as their results; 3) our selection and application of non-traditional techniques and newly developed materials, how we decided upon said processes, and how they proved in practice. We conclude by discussing NASA's atomic oxygen method for removing surface accumulations, which proved effective in treating the most fragile painted surfaces marred by fire. In sharing our success as well as the obstacles encountered, we hope to contribute to discussions on conservation methodology that develop in pursuit of workable—even superior—practices.