Volume 16, Number 2, May 1994, p.5

Modern Artists' Materials Given by Edward and Zora Sweet Pinney to the National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art is pleased to announce the establishment of a study center for research on modern artists' materials. The core of the center's collection comes from a recent gift to the Gallery from Edward and Zora Sweet Pinney. For over 40 years, Ms. Pinney systematically collected artists' materials such as oils, alkyds, gouache, watercolor, vinyl, and acrylic resin and emulsion paints, mediums, modifiers and driers, primers, varnishes, pastels, colored pencils and markers, and brushes, as well as trade literature and correspondence with manufacturers. She has been actively involved with the American Society for the Testing of Materials (ASTM) committee on artists' materials since the late 1970s and continues to consult with artists, retailers, and paint manufacturers regarding products.

Refinement of the inventory lists and further development of the collection will continue, coinciding with the appointment this spring of Paula Volent as the first recipient of the William P. Leisher Memorial Fellowship, established for the research and treatment of modern paintings.

The National Gallery of Art plans to expand this collection with the addition of other materials and to serve as a resource for research and study into the preservation of modern art. The study center is reflective of the Gallery's growing modern art collection and their concern for the stability of works of art constructed with these materials.

The Gallery is actively seeking contributions to this collection, and will be pleased to discuss its program with anyone interested in the topic.