Conservation and Modern Art: Some Case Studies

I hope the writers of the article Preserving an Evolving Legacy will forgive me, but skip the first bit and scroll down to where the case studies of the conservation issues regarding Willem de Kooning and Jacob Lawrence. To me that's the really interesting part.

For instance, did you know De Kooning "routinely exploited unconventional materials for his paintings [including mixing] house paint, safflower cooking oil, water, egg, and even mayonnaise with his artists' paints to achieve desired visual and textural effects".

Mayonnaise? I don't even like it on a sandwich, never mind using it for painting! De Kooning paintings from the 1960s and 1970s are apparently a particular problem for conservators "with passages that remain soft and sticky" decades later. Just imagine how much dust could accumulate if a painting never dried completely! Read more...