{"id":149,"date":"2023-08-17T14:49:16","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T14:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/?page_id=149"},"modified":"2023-12-05T18:34:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T18:34:22","slug":"self-informative-conservation-exposing-deterioration-and-change-of-objects-state-during-the-treatment-of-early-paintings-by-gustav-metzger","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/self-informative-conservation-exposing-deterioration-and-change-of-objects-state-during-the-treatment-of-early-paintings-by-gustav-metzger\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Informative Conservation. Exposing Deterioration and Change of Objects\u2019 State During the Treatment of Early Paintings by Gustav Metzger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Self-Informative Conservation. Exposing Deterioration and Change of Objects\u2019 State During the Treatment of Early Paintings by Gustav Metzger<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Miros\u0142aw Wachowiak<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary Art Review, Volume 1 (2021)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download Article (PDF, 2MB)<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Conservaci\u00f3n Autoinformativa. Exposici\u00f3n del Deterioro y el Cambio de Estado de los Objetos durante el Tratamiento de las Primeras Pinturas de Gustav Metzger<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Miros\u0142aw Wachowiak<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary Art Review, Volumen 1 (2021)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DESCARGAR ART\u00cdCULO (PDF, 2MB)<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Keywords<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

living artist, decay, treatment, subjectivity, contemporary art, public education, artist intention, authenticity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Dozens of early paintings by Gustav Metzger were rediscovered in 2010 after fifty years in a shed. Thick deposits of dust, support deformations, and dramatic flaking were ironic expressions of works by an artist fascinated with decay. The real condition of the twenty-four works was initially misjudged and were in need of conservation treatment of a degree strongly underestimated by the curators. In order to not exclude paintings from display, and after conferring with curators, the artist\u2019s assistant, and the artist it was decided to undertake the most necessary steps of conservation treatment before the opening. Subsequently, the works would be displayed in still visually \u201cpoor\u201d state and gradually conserved and restored during the time of display. This allowed the curators to present their history of abandonment\u2014the poor storage, natural forces, and damaging factors appreciated by the artist became visible. Importantly, this solution exposed the work of conservation and restoration, as well as related curatorial and display dilemmas. The step-by-step change in condition showed the subjectivity of the moment related to proper display and the conservator\u2019s decision when to stop working. The solution attracted visitors to return to check on the progress and actual \u201cstate of the art.\u201d This controversial way of display unveiled the conservation process, object histories, and underlined the auto-destructive attitude of the artist within his art. It questioned the traditionally understood readiness of objects for display and the necessity of conservation treatment. The works were not only prevented from being excluded from the Act or Perish!<\/em> show in the Centre of Contemporary Art in Toru\u00b4n, but they also brought important added value to the perception of the individual works, the exhibition as a whole, and to the understanding of the artist\u2019s oeuvre. It also broadened understanding of the act of conservation and restoration professions and their significance and influence on the different modes of appreciation of contemporary works of art through self-informative approaches of conducting treatment, as presented to the audience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Palabras Clave<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

artista vivo, deterioro, tratamiento, subjetividad, arte contempor\u00e1neo, educaci\u00f3n de la publica, intenci\u00f3n del artista, autenticidad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resumen<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Docenas de pinturas del periodo de juventud de Gustav Metzger fueron redescubiertas en 2010 tras cincuenta a\u00f1os en un cobertizo. Gruesos dep\u00f3sitos de polvo, deformaciones del soporte y dram\u00e1ticos desconchones eran expresiones ir\u00f3nicas de las obras de un artista fascinado por la decadencia. El estado real de las veinticuatro obras se juzg\u00f3 err\u00f3neamente en un principio, y necesitaban un tratamiento de conservaci\u00f3n en un grado altamente subestimado por los curadores. Para no excluir las pinturas de la exposici\u00f3n, y tras consultar con los conservadores, el asistente del artista y el propio artista, decidieron llevar a cabo los tratamientos de conservaci\u00f3n m\u00e1s necesarios antes de la inauguraci\u00f3n. Posteriormente, las obras se exhibieron en un estado todav\u00eda visualmente \u201cpobre\u201d y fueron conservadas y restauradas gradualmente durante la duraci\u00f3n de exposici\u00f3n. Esto permiti\u00f3 a los curadores presentar su historia de abandono: se hicieron visibles el mal almacenamiento, las fuerzas de la naturaleza y los factores de deterioro apreciados por el artista. Y lo que es m\u00e1s importante, esta soluci\u00f3n, expuso el trabajo de conservaci\u00f3n y restauraci\u00f3n, as\u00ed como los dilemas curatoriales y expositivos relacionados.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El cambio de estado, mostraba paso a paso la subjetividad del momento en relaci\u00f3n con la exposici\u00f3n adecuada y la decisi\u00f3n del conservador sobre cu\u00e1ndo dejar de trabajar. La soluci\u00f3n atra\u00eda a los visitantes a volver para comprobar el progreso y el verdadero \u201cestado de la obra\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esta controvertida forma de exposici\u00f3n desvel\u00f3 el proceso de conservaci\u00f3n, las historias de los objetos y subray\u00f3 la actitud autodestructiva del artista para con su arte. Cuestion\u00f3 la disponibilidad tradicional de los objetos para ser expuestos y la necesidad de tratamientos de conservaci\u00f3n. No solo se evit\u00f3 que las obras quedaran excluidas de la exposici\u00f3n Act or Perish!<\/em> en el Centre of Contemporary Art en Toru\u00b4n, sino que tambi\u00e9n aport\u00f3 un importante valor a\u00f1adido a la percepci\u00f3n de las obras individuales, a la exposici\u00f3n en su conjunto y a la comprensi\u00f3n de la obra del artista. Tambi\u00e9n ampli\u00f3 la comprensi\u00f3n del trabajo de los profesionales de la conservaci\u00f3n y restauraci\u00f3n y su importancia e influencia en los distintos modos de apreciar las obras de arte contempor\u00e1neo a trav\u00e9s de un enfoque autoinformado del tratamiento de la obra, tal y como se present\u00f3 al p\u00fablico.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Citation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Wachowiak, Miros\u0142aw. 2022. \u201cSelf-informative Conservation. Exposing Deterioration and Change of Objects\u2019 State during the Treatment of Early Paintings by Gustav Metzger \/ Conservaci\u00f3n Autoinformativa. Exposici\u00f3n del Deterioro y el Cambio de Estado de los Objetos durante el Tratamiento de las Primeras Pinturas de Gustav Metzger.\u201d In Contemporary Art Review<\/em>, Vol. 1. Edited by Delia M\u00fcller-W\u00fcsten, Martha Singer. Washington, DC: AIC. 1\u201316.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Self-Informative Conservation. Exposing Deterioration and Change of Objects\u2019 State During the Treatment of Early Paintings by Gustav Metzger Miros\u0142aw Wachowiak Contemporary Art Review, Volume 1 (2021) Conservaci\u00f3n Autoinformativa. Exposici\u00f3n del Deterioro y el Cambio de Estado de los Objetos durante el Tratamiento de las Primeras Pinturas de Gustav Metzger Miros\u0142aw Wachowiak Contemporary Art Review, Volumen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":196,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-149","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/contemporaryartreview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}