Painting Department: Impact damage treatment
Paintings Fellow Melissa during treatment.
Accidents happen! Our client was remodeling his residence when the contractor accidentally abraded and cracked the surface of this painting by Angel Otero titled TBD-SK Q, 2011. The impact damage was concentrated in the hollow of a fragile and thin three-dimensional fold of paint skin on the surface of the painting.
Angel Otero was born in 1981 in Puerto Rico, where he lived until moving to the United States to study painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. His unique process involves painting directly onto glass and then delicately peeling the “oil skin” sheets off while partially cured, which are then layered onto surfaces to create a dimensional and textured composition. His technique employs unconventional techniques to create large scale expressionistic abstractions.
Our Paintings Fellow, who specializes in 20th century modern materials, began the initial assessment with research into the artist’s technique followed by testing of the oil skin surfaces in order to develop a unique treatment plan. The treatment included gentle dry cleaning of the oil skin without disturbing the fragile surface, followed by creating a mechanical support made from Japanese tissue, which was inserted into the hollow fold to prevent the impact crack from failing. The crack was then manipulated and realigned with gentle heat, and the oil skin reformed and set with adhesive to seamlessly repair the impact damage.
Angel Otero, TBD-SK Q, 2011.
Impact damage before and after treatment.