Wesselmann

We have a Tom Wesselmann aluminum cut-out that is painted black.
("Woman in Green Blouse (Black)" 65 x 80 inches, 1986) The edges
appear to have been sprayed matte black and the reverse is sprayed
white, while the front has a brushed glossy black layer.  This
initially led us to believe that the front had been repainted by
someone other than the artist, particularly since it has numerous
surface flaws, with inclusions of brush hairs and other debris,
drips, etc.

Two dealers familiar with the artist's work have told us that he
preferred matte pristine surfaces.  Another informant reported to us
that the foundry spray-painted the edges, the artist hand-painted
the front, and that flaws in the paint layer would have been
consistent with his working methods.

Does anyone have any experience with pieces like this, particularly
in relation to the paint?

Barbara Appelbaum and Paul Himmelstein
Appelbaum and Himmelstein
444 Central Park West
New York, NY  10025
212-666-4630
Fax: 212-316-1039


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:5
                  Distributed: Saturday, July 9, 2005
                        Message Id: cdl-19-5-021
                                  ***