Treatment of Lichtenstein Work on Paper
Paper Department:
Roy Lichtenstein, Imperfect print, 1988 - Adhesive Removal Treatment
Emilie van der Hoorn, Associate Paper Conservator during treatment of adhesive removal.
This extremely large print was brought to the studio with the collage elements beginning to fail causing localized buckling to surface in the metalized Mylar. The adhesive needed to be tested, removed and the collage element reapplied.
Roy Lichtenstein’s early appropriation of American popular culture made him an important figure to the development of Pop Art in the 1960's. His work is often distinguished by the bold use of color, graphic lines and comic book-like patterns. This series,The Imperfects was produced between 1986 -1988, and combines several types of printing techniques including woodcut, screen printing and collage. Each print utilizes components that break out of the border, extending at one or more points into the surrounding margins as though he missed the edge. We found the concept for the series very interesting, and learned that instead of using preliminary sketches made from mass-produced images, these works were one of a kind initial studies composed and plotted on graph paper by the artist.
A rule was followed for the Perfect/Imperfect series: "The idea is that you can start with the line anywhere, and follow the line along, and draw all the shapes in the painting and return to the beginning." - Roy Lichtenstein, Art Institute of Chicago
The treatment included carefully extracting the collage elements with heat from the paper. Next, a swab and solution was used to dissolve the old adhesive from the verso of each collage element. The college elements were then backed with new heat set film and properly positioned and re-adhered and returned safely back into the print.
Please contact Preservation Arts for any conservation projects you may be considering. Call 510-808-7894 or email info@preservation-arts.com.