Outdoor sculpture project

Getty Conservation Institute Announces Collaboration with the
University Art Museum at California State University, Long Beach, to
Conserve Outdoor Sculpture

The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) has announced a collaboration
with the University Art Museum at California State University, Long
Beach (CSULB), to develop and implement conservation strategies for
selected works from the university's celebrated Monumental Sculpture
Collection.  The project includes the conservation of artist Robert
Murray's Duet (Homage to David Smith) (1965), which after 50 years
has been restored to its original color.

The announcement comes as the university celebrates the 50th
anniversary of its landmark 1965 California International Sculpture
Symposium, the first international sculpture symposium held in the
United States.  As part of the collaboration, the international
conference "Far-Sited: Creating and Conserving Art in Public Places"
will be held at CSULB October 16-18, 2015.  The conference is held
in partnership with the University Art Museum, Getty Conservation
Institute, and Museum of Latin American Art.

   "This project with CSULB allows the GCI to apply some of the
    research and tools it is currently developing to address the
    challenges of conserving outdoor sculpture, "says Tom Learner,
    Head of Science at the Getty Conservation Institute.  "Murray's
    work Duet exemplifies many of the conservation issues posed by
    outdoor sculpture, offering a unique challenge and serving as an
    excellent case study for the GCI's ongoing work in this are"

Born in 1936 in Vancouver, Canada, Robert Murray is a sculptor best
known for his monumental outdoor works made of steel and aluminum.
Duet (Homage to David Smith) is typical of Murray's sculpture in the
early 1960s, with its abstract, carefully balanced geometric
composition.  The work, made of three sheets of one-inch thick steel
and painted, was fabricated at the Bethlehem Steel shipyard in San
Pedro CA, the only facility in the area equipped to handle and form
metal at the weight and dimensions Murray required.  When the
project was completed, a worker, newly won over to the cause of art,
described it as "an honest use of steel".

Although the formal characteristics of his work have changed over
the years, color is an important and constant component of Murray's
sculptures.  The work was repainted shortly after its initial
fabrication because the color had rapidly faded, and was
subsequently repainted many times.  This eventually led to a strong
shift in color, the later paints being markedly darker and redder.
Deciding upon a treatment course meant identifying the different
paints applied, especially the initial layer, deciding on the best
way to retrieve and document the original color, and deciding on
whether to revert to the original color.  GCI scientist and project
lead Rachel Rivenc frequently consulted with Murray throughout the
process to enlist his help in identifying the original color.  Rosa
Lowinger and Associates completed the conservation work on the
sculpture with the participation of the GCI.

   "When Joseph Hirshhorn bought a piece of my sculpture in the
    mid-60s, he wanted me to send a can of paint to his conservator
    for touch-up and color matching", says Robert Murray. "This
    demonstrates how paint color is just as important as maintaining
    the structural integrity of sculpture, which makes it all the
    more gratifying when a fifty year old piece such as Duet is
    restored to its original appearance.  I am pleased that Rachel
    Rivenc and her staff at the GCI along with Brian Trimble at
    CSULB and Maria Coltharp of the UAM are working together to have
    Duet refurbished and repainted"

The 1965 California International Sculpture Symposium was a
significant experiment and major milestone in the formal
collaboration of art and technology, and also gave birth to CSULB's
Monumental Sculpture Collection, part of the CSULB Outdoor Sculpture
Collection.  The event, organized by CSULB sculpture professor
Kenneth Glenn and artist Kosso Eloul, built partnerships with
industry to create innovative sculptures using new industrial
materials and new technologies.  Internationally recognized artists
worked with industrial partners, such as Bethlehem Steel, Fellows
and Stewart Shipyard, and North American Aviation in the creation of
these landmark works.

Nine sculptures were realized on campus during the summer of 1965,
and became the nucleus of the sculpture collection.  Since that
time, seventeen additional pieces have been sited throughout the
campus.  The collection includes works by Piotr Kowalski, Guy Dill,
Claire Falkenstein, Robert Irwin, Kengiro Azuma, Rita Letendre, and
Eugenia Butler, among others.

The 2015 conference will examine new trends in public art, the use
of new technologies and alternative practices, and the role of
conservation for art in the public realm.

   "The CSULB community is fortunate to have these important works
    of outdoor sculpture across campus.  The 1965 California
    International Sculpture Symposium was an extraordinary
    undertaking that opened the doors to new technology in public
    art", says Brian Trimble, Interim Director of the University Art
    Museum at CSULB.  "This partnership with the GCI has sparked new
    interest and scholarship around the works and it is an honor to
    work with the GCI on this initiative to ensure that these works
    continue to be protected and enjoyed for many years to come"

The project is part of the GCI's Outdoor Sculpture research and
Modern and Contemporary Art Research Initiative.  For more
information, visit

    <URL:http://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/science/modcon>

For more on the Far-Sited initiative, including an overview of
CSULB's outdoor sculpture collection, visit

    <URL:http://www.far-sited.org>


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 28:44
                  Distributed: Monday, April 20, 2015
                       Message Id: cdl-28-44-001
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