Bank of America:
Supporting the Arts
The Bank of America
Art
Conservation
Project
2012
Recipients
As a company serving clients in more than 100 countries, Bank of America is
committed to a diverse program of cultural support that engages individuals,
organizations and communities in building mutual respect and recognition.
The company’s investment in the arts strengthens institutions that contribute
to local economies and sets opportunity in motion in a climate that promotes
innovation and tolerance in an increasingly integrated world.
Building on the company’s leadership in supporting the arts in the
United States, Bank of America now partners with more than 5,000 arts
organizations worldwide. The company’s multifaceted Arts and Culture
Program provides assistance for a wide spectrum of the arts, with
an emphasis on programs that foster greater cultural understanding.
Works of art can provide a lasting reflection of peoples and cultures, but, over
time, they are subject to deterioration or even loss. The Bank of America Art
Conservation Project is a unique program that provides grants to nonprofit
museums throughout the world to conserve historically or culturally significant
works of art that are in danger of degeneration, including works that have
been designated as national treasures. The program, introduced in 2010 in
Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has been expanded to the Americas, Asia
and Australia, with conservation projects in 19 global markets.
Initially, works of art from ten markets received funding for conservation,
including Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre and Pablo Ruiz Picasso’s
Woman in Blue at the Reina Sofia in Madrid. The program also funded the
conservation of Cain Slaying Abel, by Peter Paul Rubens, at The Courtauld
Institute of Art, a newly discovered painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner at
the Städel Museum and a collection of Ndebele beaded aprons from the
Wits Art Museum. Bank of America is proud to support the preservation of
treasures from nations around the world, to highlight beauty and heritage as
well as the need for art conservation.
Capital Museum, Beijing
The Qianlong Great Buddhist Canon is a Tripitaka
compiled during the reign of Emperor Qianlong
in the Qing Dynasty (1735–1796). A Tripitaka
contains systematically assembled Buddhist
sutras (scriptural narratives) and treatises.
Tripitaka means “three baskets,” from the way in
which it was originally recorded; the text was
written on long, narrow leaves, which were sewn
at the edges and then grouped into bunches and
stored in three “baskets” of teachings.
Since Buddhism was introduced to China, its
sutras have grown in number after
generations of translation and circulation.
The last official Tripitaka and the only existing
one in China, the Qianlong Great Buddhist
Canon is extraordinarily significant—historically,
scientifically and artistically. It is a treasure to
China and to the world’s Buddhist community.
The Qianlong Great Buddhist Canon is composed
of 724 cases carved on 79,036 woodblocks. Each
case is marked by a Chinese character from
“tian” ( ) to “ji” ( ), all selected from the
Thousand Character Classic. Each case has ten
volumes, for a total of 7,240 volumes. It is a
complete collection of 1,669 sutras, teachings,
treatises and other literature.
Twenty to thirty percent of the carved woodblocks
have deteriorated and are in need of conservation.
After conservation, a special collection of the
woodblocks and resulting prints will be on display
in the museum.
Qianlong Great Buddhist Canon (Qing Dynasty)
Carved Woodblock Conservation Project
Shanghai Museum
Jian (Water Vessel), Dragon Pattern, c. early 6th–5th century B.C.
Bronze
36.5 cm (height) x 80 cm (mouth) (14½” x 31½”)
A jian is a water vessel used for bathing and for
storing water and ice. Jians were commonly used
during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 B.C.)
and the Warring States period (475–221 B.C.) (The
Warring States period is often considered to have
begun in 403 B.C., when the three remaining elite
families in Jìn—Zhào, Wèi and Hán—partitioned
the state.) Some jians were elaborately decorated,
inlayed with turquoise and engraved with subtle
decorative patterns. A jian might also be adorned
with animal-shaped feet and exquisitely crafted
handles formed in the shape of a dragon.
The Shanghai Museum has a particularly strong
collection of ancient bronzes, and this jian
will be a significant addition, permanently and
prominently displayed. However, this large bronze
jian had been shattered into pieces when it was
unearthed. Conservation will begin with piecing the
fragments of the vessel together and patching the
areas for which parts have been lost. After this,
the conservator will repair and trim the dragon
pattern meticulously to restore its original glory.
Tokyo National Museum
Kanô Eitoku
(Japanese, 1543–1590)
This folding screen by Kanô Eitoku, the leading Japanese
artist of his day and one of the most influential painters, is
a highly celebrated work representative of the monumental
polychrome-and-gold painting style of the Azuchi-Momoyama
period (1573–1615). The screen was handed down within the
Katsuranomiya Imperial Family (formerly known as the
Hachijônomiya family). With the death of the final heir and
subsequent end of the Katsuranomiya house in 1881, it became
a Treasure of the Imperial Collection.
From the telltale traces of door pulls in the paper, it is
believed that the paintings on these screens were originally
sliding-door paintings in the Hachijônomiya residence, which
was completed in 1590. They are therefore thought to be a very
Hinoki-zu (Cypress Tree)
Eight-fold Screen,
Azuchi-Momoyama period (16th century)
Ink on paper covered with gold leaf
170.3 x 460.5 cm (67” x 1813/8”)
late work by Kanô Eitoku. Against a backdrop of gold-leafed ground
and clouds, the powerful form of a cypress tree fills the screen. By
simplifying the background, minimizing the number of colors and by
depicting the tree bark energetically with a seemingly coarse brush,
Eitoku emphasizes the tree’s commanding presence.
The Japanese government has designated this work as a National
Treasure. After thorough analysis of the current condition of the
screen, the project will be submitted to the Commissioner for
Cultural Affairs. Upon approval, it will be treated to prevent the
peeling of paint, gold leaf and paper. It will then be cleaned,
retouched, patched and reframed.
Attributed to
Chen Rong (Chinese, c. 1200–1266)
Chen Rong, a poet and painter who lived during the end of the
Southern Song Dynasty, was born in Changle (Fujian Province) and
also called himself Su W ng and Su Zh i. He passed the Imperial
civil-service examination in 1235 and subsequently held a number
of official state posts. After years of frustration with political life,
he began to paint dragons with India ink and was prominent in the
B oyòu period from 1253 to 1258. Five Dragons carries the seal of
“
” at the end of the roll and is thus said to be a work by Chen
Rong. The painting came to Japan during the fifteenth century, and
the Japanese government has designated the work as an Important
Cultural Property.
Five Dragons
Southern Song Dynasty, 13th century, China
Traditional Chinese handscroll format, ink and
light color on paper
45.7 x 298.7 cm (18” x 117½”)
Creases are apparent over the entire surface of the painting.
If they are left untreated, the support will split, eventually
leading to paint loss; some areas of the painting have already
worn away as the result of the rolling and unrolling of the
handscroll. Losses in the support have been patched with
pieces of paper, and some seams where the artwork and silk
borders are joined have separated. There are also several
tears on the edge of the mount. Upon restoration, the
handscroll will be displayed in the Tokyo National Museum’s
Asian Gallery, currently under renovation.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu
Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum,
Mumbai
Mughal Emperor Akbar’s Court
(1542–1605)
Anvar-I Suhayli, c. 1575
Manuscript illustrations, tempera on handmade paper
26.6 x 21.8 cm (sight size of the scrapbook pages) (10½” x 85/8”)
Art Gallery of New South Wales,
Sydney
William Charles Piguenit
(Australian, 1836–1914)
The Panchatantra, a compilation of five books
of charming animal fables, is believed to have
originated in India around the fourth century and
was translated and enriched over the centuries
by a variety of civilizations. In the eighth century,
this collection of tales was known to the Muslim
world as the Kalilah wa Dimnah and had evolved
to become a series of illustrated manuscripts.
There are also Hebrew and Greek versions of
it. The Persian version in the CSMVS—known as
Anvar-I Suhayli—was created in the second half of
the sixteenth century by the court of the Mughal
emperor Akbar, possibly for his young son, and
contains more than two hundred illustrations.
The folios, badly burned in the nineteenth century,
were salvaged, and the surviving illustrations
and fragments were mounted into an album. The
album was later purchased at a sale at Sotheby’s
in London in 1938 and bequeathed to the CSMVS
in 1973. In addition to fire damage, the gluing of
the original leaves has resulted in cockling of the
folios, and tears and creases on the supporting
structure have been transferred to the original
works. Flaking and loss of paint are evident in a
number of folios.
Conservation will begin with comparative analysis
and research on similar illustrated texts in order
to mount all the fragments in the correct format
and to reintegrate the text and illustrations. Work
will then continue with the restoration of all of
the illustrations.
The Flood in the Darling 1890, 1895 (detail pictured)
Oil on canvas
122.5 x 199.3 cm (48¼” x 78½”)
Frame: 172.5 (h) x 249 (w) x 14 (d) cm (67 7/8” x 98” x 51/2”)
Few canvases in Australia match the cinematic
aplomb of The Flood in the Darling 1890, Piguenit’s
best-known work. This painting has gained
iconic status due to the sparkling sweep of
the composition; its sense of a scene observed
firsthand and faithfully reported; and the dazzling
manner of its application, leading to nearmiraculous evocations of water and sky.
Purchased 1895. Image courtesy of the Art Gallery of NSW.
Tasmanian by birth, printmaker, photographer
and painter Piguenit traveled widely and worked
prolifically, understanding nature as a spectacle
both beautiful and cruel. His 23 years as a
draftsman with the Colonial Survey Department
served him in good stead when he began his
second career as an artist. In 1872, he left his
job and became Australia’s first native-born
professional painter and a major artist working
in the nineteenth-century Romantic landscape
tradition, capturing the form and spirit of the
vast Australian landscape. After his death, his
unsold works were destroyed, as stipulated in
his will.
This painting requires cleaning and repairs to the
canvas, along with a major restoration of
the frame.
Castello Sforzesco, Milan
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci
(Italian, 1452–1519)
The Castello Sforzesco was once one of the most
splendid residences in Renaissance Italy. Some
of the castle’s elaborate interior decoration,
including ceiling paintings by Leonardo da Vinci,
has survived.
The Codex Trivulzianus, one of the most important
works in the Castello Sforzesco’s collection, is an
early manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci. It contains
long lists of words in Italian and Latin that the
artist copied from authoritative lexical and
grammatical sources in an attempt to broaden his
linguistic knowledge. Also within the manuscript
are portraits and studies of military and religious
architecture, including plans for a crossing-dome
for Milan Cathedral. Although the document
originally contained 62 sheets, only 55 remain.
Due to its fragile condition, the Codex Trivulzianus
is not typically on view to the public. Utilizing
sophisticated technology, conservators are
creating a digital reproduction of the manuscript,
allowing visitors to browse the document using
state-of-the-art touch screens that will be
positioned in key points throughout the castle.
Codex Trivulzianus (Codice Trivulziano), c. 1487–1490
Pen and ink on paper
14 x 20 cm (5½” x 7 7/8”)
Dulwich Picture Gallery,
London
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
(Spanish, 1617–1682)
The Flower Girl, c. 1670 (pictured)
Oil on canvas
120.7 x 98.3 cm (47½” x 38 5/8”)
Invitation to a Game of Argolla, c. 1670
Oil on canvas
165.2 x 110.5 cm (65” x 43½”)
Three Boys, c. 1670
Oil on canvas
168.3 x 109.8 cm (66¼” x 43¼”)
Although he is best known for his religious works
from the Baroque period, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
also produced a considerable number of genre
paintings. These lively, realist portraits of flower
girls, street urchins and beggars constitute an
extensive and appealing record of everyday life.
Considered somewhat sentimental today, his genre
scenes nevertheless represented a new way of
relating to and portraying this subject matter.
Murillo’s style was imitated throughout Spain and
its empire, and he was the first Spanish painter to
achieve fame outside the Spanish realm.
Three of these works —The Flower Girl,
Invitation to a Game of Argolla and Three Boys—
are widely recognized as the most important
Murillo paintings in the UK and are the centerpiece
of the Dulwich Picture Gallery collection. These
canvases, all masterpieces of seventeenth-century
Spanish painting, had a profound effect on the
appreciation of Spanish art in the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries. The Flower Girl will
be featured in Murillo and Justino de Neve, an
exhibition that will open at the Prado in Madrid
in the summer of 2012 and then will travel to
Seville and London.
The works require full conservation and cleaning
prior to exhibition.
Kunsthaus Zürich
Museum for Modern Art, Zürich
Die Wahrheit (The Truth), 1902
Oil on canvas
196 x 273 cm (77” x 107”)
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Simplicia Cabinet, Delft, The Netherlands, 1730
Ferdinand Hodler (Swiss, 1853–1918)
Ferdinand Hodler was one of the most
significant Swiss painters of the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
His work evolved to combine influences
from several genres, including Symbolism
and Art Nouveau, and he eventually
developed a style that he called
Parallelism, characterized by groupings
of figures symmetrically arranged in
poses that suggest ritual or dance.
Die Wahrheit (The Truth) (First Version)
was painted in 1902. The second, far
more stylized version, also in the
Kunsthaus collection, followed in 1903
for the exhibition at the Vienna
Secession in 1904. For Hodler, the
woman in the center of the composition
represents truth, on which the darker
men around her—the reactionaries—turn
their backs.
Conservation and restoration work
chiefly will involve measures to
preserve the painting, which is
cracking and peeling, in order to
maintain its current condition
and prevent further damage.
This exceptional cabinet was the
showpiece of the Collegium MedicoPharmaceuticum in Delft. The exterior
is veneered with the finest olivewood
and embellished with gilt bronze mounts.
Inside is a luxurious mini-apothecary
with Delftware paintings and gilded
sculptures. Behind the display, the
cabinet’s one hundred concealed
drawers contain hundreds of medicinal
ingredients, a reference for apothecary
students. The cabinet houses 92
apothecary jars from Delft as well as
more than one hundred glass bottles
containing an extensive collection of
pharmaceutical samples typical of
an eighteenth-century apothecary.
The cabinet will be on view in the new
Rijksmuseum in 2013.
The cabinet and its integrated display
of Delftware, paintings, sculptures and
marquetry will be conserved and cleaned.
The well-preserved pharmaceutical
ingredients will be studied and
catalogued in cooperation with the
University of Amsterdam.
Il Paradiso (Paradise), 1588
Oil on canvas
169.5 x 494 cm (66¾” x 194½”)
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto (née Jacopo Comin)
(Italian, 1519–1594)
Jacopo Robusti—nicknamed Tintoretto (“the little dyer”) because
his father dyed textiles—is best known for his monumental
religious paintings. One of the great exponents of Mannerism
during the Renaissance, Tintoretto was highly influential in his
time; his impact on El Greco’s work is particularly notable. He is
thought to have studied with the Venetian master Titian and was
inspired by the works of Michelangelo. Tintoretto is considered
the second-most important sixteenth-century Venetian painter,
after Titian.
Paradise is one of the most significant paintings in the Thyssen’s
collection, prominently displayed in the museum’s lobby. The
work was Tintoretto’s submission for a competition to replace
the destroyed fresco on the main wall of the Sala del Maggior
Consiglio (Great Council Hall) of the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s
Palace) in Venice. After Tintoretto was awarded the commission
in 1588, he began work on a much larger painting based upon the
smaller version now housed in the Thyssen.
The final painting was breathtaking in the sweep of its power
and unprecedented in scale, measuring 9.1 by 22.6 meters
(30 feet by 74 feet). It is still reputed to be the largest
painting ever executed upon canvas. When Paradise was
nearly finished, Tintoretto moved the painting to its current
location in the Palazzo Ducale, where it was completed and
installed by Tintoretto’s workshop under the supervision of
his son, Domenico Robusti.
The conservation of Tintoretto’s preliminary version of
Paradise will be the first project undertaken as part of the
Thyssen’s Twentieth Anniversary celebration. The entire
conservation process will be executed in situ—for the first
time, a Spanish museum will allow the general public to view a
restoration project from start to finish, in real time.
Iraqi Institute for the Conservation
of Antiquities and Heritage
Nimrud Ivories
The Nimrud ivories are carvings that illustrate
the beliefs and stories of the ancient Assyrian
civilization. Images of people, sphinxes, lions,
serpents and floral motifs decorate these
delicate works. Art historians believe the ivories
were brought to Nimrud from Syria and Egypt
between the ninth and seventh centuries B.C. to
decorate furniture and other items in the Assyrian
royal palaces. Excavated during the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries, the Nimrud ivories
are exquisite treasures of the ancient world
and works of great significance to the cultural
heritage of Iraq. Unfortunately, many of the
Nimrud ivories have been badly damaged or even
destroyed due to decades of poor storage under
the reign of Saddam Hussein and the 2003 looting
of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.
Treatment will take place at the Iraqi Institute
for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage
(Iraqi Institute), located near the 800-yearold citadel of Erbil in northern Iraq. Since
2009, American, Iraqi and other international
conservators, archaeologists and heritage
professionals have been collaborating to help
Iraqis redevelop conservation and heritagemanagement skills. This important and highprofile conservation project, to be executed in
partnership with the U.S. Department of State, will
enable the display of the famous Nimrud ivories,
while at the same time provide training for Iraq’s
burgeoning conservation professionals.
Nimrud Ivories, 9th–7th century B.C.
Rezan Has Museum, Istanbul
Urartian Jewelry Collection
Rezan Has Museum’s Urartian jewelry collection
is the most comprehensive of its kind in Turkey.
It contains nearly 1,000 items, including hairpins,
diadems, hair coils, earrings, rings, necklaces,
medallions, pectorals, amulets, armlets, bracelets,
anklets, fibulæ and buttons. Many of the items
are decorated with religious or magical motifs,
reflecting the mystical thoughts, religious beliefs
and traditions of Urartian society.
Urartu was the northern neighbor and rival of
the Assyrian Empire from the ninth to seventh
centuries B.C. It had disappeared before 600 B.C.,
possibly destroyed due to raids by horse-borne
warriors known to the Greeks as Scythians,
associated with the Medes from western Iran.
Items of clothing and jewelry have always
provided an indication of social status, especially
in societies shaped by religion. It is also likely
that the preponderance of religious decorations
on Urartian jewelry reveals an ancient belief that
such representations held divine power to protect
the wearer from evil and to bring luck, prosperity
and happiness.
Conservation of items in this collection will include
cleaning, repairing cracks, finishing, stabilization
and overall preservation.
Urartian Bracelets, 9th–7th century B.C.
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Marc Chagall (French, born Belarus, 1887–1985)
Chagall, one of very few artists whose work was
exhibited at the Louvre in his or her lifetime, was
also deeply involved in the establishment of the
Tel Aviv Museum of Art, playing an active role in
building its first collections. Chagall donated his
painting Jew with Torah, which became the initial
work of art the museum acquired, as well as The
Wailing Wall and Solitude.
The conservation project will begin with analysis
of and research on the works mentioned above,
along with The Musician with the Red Beard and
Lovers, a total of five paintings. The project will
continue with lining or relining; removing old
varnish; stabilizing cracking or flaking; minor
retouching; and, in some cases, the restoration
and regilding of the frame. After restoration, all
the works will be on permanent display.
© 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Marc Chagall, one of the most important and
influential artists of the twentieth century,
created his own style of modern art often
based on Eastern European Jewish folk culture.
He fused fantasy, nostalgia and religion together
to create otherworldly images. “When Matisse
dies,” Pablo Picasso remarked during the
1950s, “Chagall will be the only painter left who
understands what color really is.”
The Musician with the Red Beard, 1919. Oil on cardboard. 61 x 47 cm (24” x 18½”)
Jew with Torah, 1925. Gouache on paper, mounted on board. 68 x 51 cm (26 7/8” x 20 1/8”)
Lovers, 1929. Oil on canvas. 55 x 38 cm (21¾” x 15”) (pictured)
The Wailing Wall, 1932. Oil on canvas. 73 x 92 cm (28¾” x 36¼”)
Solitude, 1933. Oil on canvas. 102 x 169 cm (40¼” x 66½”) (pictured)
Victor Meirelles de Lima
(Brazilian, 1832–1903)
Victor Meirelles studied art in Paris but painted
most of his works in and around his native Brazil.
His religious and military paintings helped him
become one of the most popular and celebrated
Brazilian painters. Meirelles’ The first Mass
in Brazil was the first Brazilian painting to be
accepted in the Salons of Paris and is one of the
best-known paintings in his native country. It has
been reproduced in practically every Brazilian
elementary-school history book.
Moema is considered an iconic depiction of Indian
romance, showing the abandonment of an Indian
woman by her Portuguese lover. The character
Moema appeared in the epic poem Caramuru
(1781), by Brazilian Augustinian friar Santa Rita
Durão, and became an important symbol of
Brazilian culture.
The painting requires full conservation
and stabilization.
Moema, 1866
Oil on canvas
129.5 x 190.5 cm (51” x 75”)
Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli,
Mexico City
El hombre en el cruce de los caminos (Man at the Crossroads),
1933 (left panel, detail pictured)
Charcoal on kraft paper, 501 x 323 cm (197” x 127”)
Diego Rivera
(Mexican, 1886–1957)
El hombre en el cruce de los caminos / El hombre técnico
(Man at the Crossroads / The Technical Man), 1933
Ink, charcoal and gouache on paper, 124 x 303 cm (49” x 119”)
El hombre en el cruce de los caminos (Man at the Crossroads),
1933 (right panel)
Charcoal on kraft paper, 500 x 321 cm (197” x 126½”)
Agua, origen de la vida en la tierra (Water, Origin of Life on Earth),
c. 1949
Charcoal on paper, 165 x 630 cm (65” x 248”)
The Anahuacalli Museum holds an important collection of 17 of
Diego Rivera’s sketches for his murals; four are under conservation
through the Art Conservation Project. Between 1922 and 1957, Rivera
painted murals throughout Mexico, as well as in San Francisco, Detroit
and New York City. His large wall works helped to establish the
Mexican Mural Renaissance.
Among the sketches in the collection are those for the controversial
Man at the Crossroads, which the painter began for Rockefeller
Center in 1933; the piece was destroyed because it contained a
portrait of Vladimir Lenin. The museum also houses a sketch for
Water, Origin of Life on Earth, which Rivera painted for the water
distribution chamber of the Dolores Waterworks of the Lerma River
in Chapultepec, Mexico City. This is a sketch of the wall that
portrays the builders and engineers of the Dolores Waterworks.
All of these sketches have unique historical value, as they reveal not
only the creative process of one of the most prominent muralists in
Mexico and the world, but also key moments of the political and social
environment that existed during Rivera’s lifetime. Indeed, Rivera
often used friends and activists as models in his works, including
such important figures as the poet Gabriela Garbalosa; the painter
Pablo O’Higgins; the political activist Concha Michel; and Rivera’s first
wife, Guadalupe MarÍn, as photographed by Tina Modotti. The drawings
in the Anahuacalli Museum’s collection that have the most severe
structural damage, such as cracks and deformations, are being
restored. This process will help counteract the damage caused by
the passage of time and fluctuations in relative humidity, as well
as exposure to both natural and artificial light.
© 2012 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Museu de Arte de São Paulo
National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C.
Gilbert Stuart
(American, 1755–1828)
Up to sixteen historical portraits including:
Stephen Van Rensselaer III, 1793/1795. Oil on canvas. 91.8 x 71.4 cm (36 1/8” x 28 1/8”)
Lawrence Reid Yates, 1793/1794. Oil on canvas. 76.2 x 63.5 cm (30” x 25”)
Captain Joseph Anthony, 1794. Oil on canvas. 91.4 x 71.1 cm (36” x 28”)
George Washington (Vaughan-Sinclair portrait), 1795. Oil on canvas. 74 x 61.3 cm (29 1/8” x 241/8”) (pictured)
Abigail Smith Adams (Mrs. John Adams), c. 1800/1815. Oil on canvas. 73.3 x 59.7 cm (28 7/8” x 23½”)
John Adams, 1800/1815. Oil on canvas. 73.7 x 61 cm (29” x 24”)
Commodore Thomas Macdonough, 1815/1818. Oil on wood. 72.4 x 57.2 cm (28½” x 22½”)
Joseph Coolidge, 1820. Oil on wood. 71.3 x 57.5 cm (28 1/16” x 225/8”)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
New York
Pablo Ruiz Picasso
(Spanish, 1881–1973)
The National Gallery of Art (NGA) is fortunate to
have in its collection 45 works by Gilbert Stuart.
Most renowned for his famous images of
George Washington, Stuart painted virtually
all of the important political figures and notable
families of his time. No artist has provided a
more complete or more vivid visual record of
the men and women of the early republic.
Perhaps no other artist in the early twentieth
century depicted the plight of the disenfranchised
with more sensitivity or emotion than Pablo Picasso.
Woman Ironing (La repasseuse), spring 1904, painted
during his pivotal Blue Period (1901–04), is recognized
as one of Picasso’s quintessential images of the
working poor. During his early years in Paris, Picasso
lived in relative poverty as a young, unknown artist
and made use of a melancholy palette of white and
blue-gray tones. He no doubt empathized with the
laborers and beggars around him.
© 2012 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
In his best work, Stuart demonstrates an
astute ability to capture not only the physical
appearance of his subjects, but their spirit and
intellect, as well. His skillful, sure brushwork
and uncanny ability to convey the appearance
of living flesh made him the idol of subsequent
generations of portrait painters.
Aside from a core group of about fifteen
portraits, the remaining works have not
undergone recent conservation treatment.
These works are compromised by a variety of
issues that preclude their being seen to best
advantage, whether at the Gallery or on loan to
other institutions. Among the areas of concern
are discolored varnishes, old retouchings that
have become visible, and structural problems such
as insecure paint and fragile canvases. With this
grant, conservation will begin with the restoration
of eight of these Stuart portraits.
Woman Ironing (La repasseuse), spring 1904
Oil on canvas
116.2 x 73 cm (45¾” x 28¾”)
A study of Woman Ironing completed in 1989 revealed
the presence of an earlier painting, an apparent
portrait of a man, beneath the surface of this Blue
Period composition. Limited access to sophisticated
technology has impeded subsequent research on the
underlying portrait, until now. The current project
will involve a comprehensive study of the earlier
portrait, incorporating the most advanced imaging
techniques, scientific analysis, historical research
and comparative viewings of related works in an
effort to identify the male subject and enhance
existing scholarship on Picasso’s working methods
and materials. Conservation treatment of the
painting is another central component of the project
and will include overall cleaning and editing of old
and mismatched restorations.
The painting, which is almost continually on view
in the Guggenheim’s Thannhauser Gallery, will be
featured in the exhibition Picasso Black and White
in late 2012.
Sea Change, 1947
Seattle Art Museum
Oil and pebbles on canvas
147 x 112.1 cm (577/8” x 44 1/8”)
Jackson Pollock
(American, 1912–1956)
Untitled, c. 1964. Painted and chromium-plated steel. 48.3 x 66 x 58.4 cm (19” x 26” x 23”)
The Menil Collection,
Houston
Cat-Bird Seat, 1966. Painted and flocked fiberglass with brass on steel structure. 104.1 x 152.4 x 88.9 cm (41” x 60” x 35”)
Nanoweap, 1969. Painted and chromium-plated steel. 137.2 x 160 x 119.4 cm (54” x 63” x 47”)
Clytie II (Only Women Bleed ... for Alice), 1976. Painted and chromium-plated steel. 149.9 x 170.2 x 55.9 cm (59” x 67” x 22”)
Rooster Starfoot, 1976. Painted and chromium-plated steel. 228.6 x 182.9 x 182.9 cm (90” x 72” x 72”)
Artur Banres, 1977. Painted and chromium-plated steel. 213.4 x 83.8 x 53.3 cm (84” x 33” x 21”)
John Chamberlain
(American, 1927–2011)
Kunststecher, 1977. Painted and chromium-plated steel. 195.6 x 116.8 x 58.4 cm (77” x 46” x 23”)
Folded Nude, 1978. Painted and chromium-plated steel. 198.1 x 193 x 53.3 cm (78” x 76” x 21”)
Elixir, 1983. Painted steel. Two sections: 229.9 x 108 x 96.5 cm (90½” x 42½” x 38”); 356.2 x 91 x 82.55 cm (140¼” x 36” x 32½”)
Wall Sculpture, 1983. Painted steel. 76.2 x 20.3 x 7.6 cm (30” x 8” x 3”)
American Tableau, 1984. Painted and chromium-plated steel. 365.8 x 640.1 x 335.3 cm (12’ x 21’ x 11’)
Cone Yak, 1990. Painted steel. 41 x 44.5 x 30.8 cm (16 1/8” x 17½” x 12¼”) (pictured)
The Menil has amassed one of the most
extensive collections of Chamberlain’s work,
including twelve large-scale sculptures that have
never received a thorough condition survey or
treatment. Conservation will address the complex
deterioration issues inherent in works made from
industrial materials, such as flaking automotive
paint, metal fatigue and corrosion, broken welds
and missing or damaged parts.
Nanoweap and Rooster Starfoot will be included
in the exhibition John Chamberlain: Choices at
the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York,
February through May 2012. The exhibition will
then travel to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao,
where it will be on view from March through
September 2013.
© 2012 John Chamberlain / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
The aesthetic character of this important painting
was altered by the application of a restorer’s
varnish coating in the 1970s. Conservation will
begin with high-resolution digital photography of
the painting and analytical research to determine
the nature and solubility of the existing coating.
Work will continue with testing of the adhesion of
the pebbles, research into the protective effect
of coatings on aluminum paint and the removal of
the existing coating. Finally, the painting will be
protectively framed.
American sculptor John Chamberlain is known
internationally for his long career of creating
vibrantly colored sculptures from crushed,
twisted and bent automobile parts. While also
experimenting with a variety of sculptural media,
as well as with film and painting, he greatly
impacted generations of artistic movements,
including Minimalism and Pop Art, and continued to
create inventive work until his recent death.
© 2012 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Sea Change is from a breakthrough group of early
transitional works that Jackson Pollock created
in 1947, which led away from figuration toward a
fully abstract application of his drip technique.
Its title, like others in this thematic grouping,
comes from Shakespeare’s The Tempest and
lends extra narrative content to the composition,
suggesting an impending meteorological event.
The painting was owned by art dealer and patron
Peggy Guggenheim until its donation to the
Seattle Art Museum in 1958.
Previous Recipients
Arab Image Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon
Latif el Ani and Hashem el Madani photography collections
The Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640)
Cain Slaying Abel, 1608–1609
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Virgilius Eriksen (Danish, 1722–1783)
Portrait of Catherine the Great in her Coronation Robes, 1762
Portrait of Grigory Orlov in Roman Armour, c. 1766–1772
Portrait of Alexey Orlov in Turkish Dress, c. 1766–1772
Monastero della Certosa del Galluzzo, Florence
Jacopo Carucci Pontormo (Italian, 1494–1557)
Road to Calvary, 1523-1525
The Städel Museum, Frankfurt
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880–1938)
Scene in a Forest (Moritzburg Ponds) (recto) and
Nude in the Studio (verso), c. 1910
Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret, Nice
Agnolo Tori di Cosimo di Mariano Bronzino (Italian, 1503–1572)
Crucified Christ, c. 1540
Szépmu észeti Múzeum, Budapest
Agnolo Tori di Cosimo di Mariano Bronzino (Italian, 1503–1572)
Venus, Cupid and Envy, c. 1550
Musée du Louvre, Paris
Winged Victory of Samothrace, Greek, 190 B.C.
Wits Art Museum, Johannesburg
Ndebele (South African)
Isiphephetu (Beaded Aprons)
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973)
Woman in Blue, c. 1901
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
Daniel Maclise (Irish, 1806–1870)
The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife, 1854
Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco, Milan
Agnolo Tori di Cosimo di Mariano Bronzino (Italian, 1503–1572)
Portrait of Lorenzo Lenzi, c. 1527–1528
Westminster Abbey, London
Cosmati Pavement, 1268
Portrait of Richard II Enthroned in Coronation Robes, c. 1398
Catherine of Aragon, early 16th century
Liber Regalis, c. 1382
Silk Embroidery Panels for Regalia Table and Royal Boxes, 1953
James II Coronation Music Composed by Henry Purcell, 1685
Mary II Coronation Chair, 1689
Portrait of Elizabeth I, 1594
Wren Model, c. 1720
Charter of 1560
Chaucer’s Lease, 1399
© 2012 Bank of America Corporation