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The Grand Reopening of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

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The Grand Reopening of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

The Conservation Center often assists museums, institutions, foundations, and non-profit organizations with conserving and caring for their collections. In addition to comprehensive conservation services, The Center's team assists with long-term preservation planning, digitization of archives and historical documents, creation of custom displays, packing and transportation, and long-term storage of collections. Over the past two years, The Center has worked with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) on several conservation projects while their building underwent an expansion and renovation campaign, partnering with renowned architecture firm Studio Gang to design their new facility. 

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Conserving Bathsheba

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Conserving Bathsheba

Every year, The Center receives thousands of items of all kinds, yet some truly stand out. Bathsheba (1708) by Willem van Mieris arrived at The Center from the art collection at Notre Dame University, Indiana. As construction progresses on Notre Dame's new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, The Conservation Center has been busy conserving select pieces from the collection. These artworks will be displayed in the new facility, set to open in November 2023. Preserving artwork is always an honor, but parting with this one was bittersweet. Our CEO, Heather Becker, even shared, "I didn't want this painting to leave."

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Part 2: Reviving The Assumption of Mary

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Part 2: Reviving The Assumption of Mary

In August 2022, we shared the first stages of treatment of "The Assumption of Mary," a nine-foot-tall painting from St. Anthony Catholic Church in Davenport, Iowa. Nearly a year has passed since the treatment journey began, involving hundreds of hours of work. We are excited to present the final chapter of this enthralling painting's conservation tale.

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Picture Perfect Portrait Paintings

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Picture Perfect Portrait Paintings

Portrait painting is a form of art practiced by artists for centuries. People have always wanted to preserve the essence of their loved ones tangibly, and portraiture is the art of representing a person or figure in paint. From the cave paintings of early man to masterpieces by the greatest artists throughout history, painted portraits were the only way to commemorate an individual until the advent of photography in the mid-1800s. Now, with access to digital photography at the tip of our fingers, the sheer number of photographs that exist today is a testament to how significant portraits are. 

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A Painting from Home: Elvey Bridge by A.H. Vickers

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A Painting from Home: Elvey Bridge by A.H. Vickers

Patrick Henry O'Brien was born in Laurium, Michigan, on March 15, 1868. His parents, Mary and Patrick, were immigrants from County Cork, Ireland, who settled in the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, in 1863. The area was known as Copper County for the prevalent copper mining from the 1850s through the 1960s. Patrick lost both his father and uncle to mining accidents, leading him down a very different path.

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Part 1: Reviving The Assumption of Mary

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Part 1: Reviving The Assumption of Mary

The Assumption of Mary is a stunning and powerful image. It is a depiction of the event that gives the picture its name: the assumption of Mary into heaven. At nine feet tall, the commanding size creates a powerful experience that draws in the viewer. It's a captivating work of art, full of movement and life. But years of grime, discolored varnish, and mismatched repaint detracted from the painting.

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Preparing for Display: Conserving Treasures for the Snite Museum at the University of Notre Dame, Madonna and Child with Saints

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Preparing for Display: Conserving Treasures for the Snite Museum at the University of Notre Dame, Madonna and Child with Saints

As construction continues on the University of Notre Dame's new art museum, the conservation of select paintings from the Snite Museum of Art continues in The Center's laboratory. Scheduled for completion in late-2023, the new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art will increase the University's capacity to display its art collection and accept programs that the current facility, the Snite Museum of Art, cannot because of size restrictions. The Painting Conservation Department and Custom Framing and Fabrications departments recently completed treatment of the 15-century painting Madonna and Child with Saints.

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Gilding a Gorgeous Frame

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Gilding a Gorgeous Frame

Thick or thin, matte or metallic, carved or clean-lines: fine art frames can fade into the background or compete with the artwork it displays for the viewers attention. The frame for The Annunciation does just that, with carvings, oil and water gilding, and yellow and red bole undertones - it truly is a work of art all on its own.

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Rosa Mystica: A Journey of Renewal and Restoration

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Rosa Mystica: A Journey of Renewal and Restoration

The Conservation Center is honored to partner with the Illinois Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums to treat The Annunciation. Please enjoy this video outlining our treatment plan for the piece, included in their five-part lecture series, Rosa Mystica: A Journey of Renewal and Restoration.

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Kerry James Marshall's "Ipso Facto"

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Kerry James Marshall's "Ipso Facto"

In 2016, The Center had the pleasure of working on a personal piece for Kerry James Marshall titled Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness and we were very honored when the artist gave us the opportunity to work on another piece from his personal collection. “Ipso Facto” is a painting executed on two plywood panels joined together with batons and screws. The diptych is primed and painted with what appears to be moderately applied acrylic. Both panels depict a figure’s rear. The left panel is painted in white, with various colors playfully peeking through the brush strokes, and the other is painted in black surrounded by small white flowers with intimate red and green details. The piece is unvarnished and while unsigned, the painting is characteristic of Marshall’s work.

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A Refreshed Frame for "Madonna and Child"

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A Refreshed Frame for "Madonna and Child"

Just in time for the holidays, The Conservation Center completed extensive frame work for a beautiful Madonna and Child painting for the Diocese of Rockford collection. Josh McCauley, one of our Senior Conservators, carved out new decorations by hand, showing off his true attention to detail and expert craftsmanship. Learn how the Madonna and Child frame was conserved.

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The Financial Lives of U.S. Presidents (and How We Conserved Them): The First National Bank of LaGrange (FNBLG)’s Presidential Checks Collection

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The Financial Lives of U.S. Presidents (and How We Conserved Them): The First National Bank of LaGrange (FNBLG)’s Presidential Checks Collection

The First National Bank of LaGrange (FNBLG) recently brought its Presidential Check Collection--one of the most comprehensive in the country--to The Center for conservation. This assemblage of checks written by 39 of the 43 U.S. presidents captures a unique piece of American history and gives a glimpse back into the chief executives' professional and private financial lives.

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Conservation-Grade Framing and Display: A Word from the Pros

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Conservation-Grade Framing and Display: A Word from the Pros

Framing and displaying an artwork properly can help draw attention to a work, enhance its visual appeal, and keep it safe. Poorly framing or displaying a work of art, on the other hand, can lead to discoloration, fading, acid burn, and other severe and unnecessary damage.

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À la Modigliani: Portrait of Lunia Czechowska

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À la Modigliani: Portrait of Lunia Czechowska

Amadeo Modigliani was an Italian painter who lived and worked during La Belle Époque. Like many other artists during this period, he resided in Paris where he created some of his most famous sculptures, drawings, and paintings. Although Modigliani was prolific and created hundreds of pieces, he was destitute for most of his tragically short life. The artist is well-known for his portraits, which depict faces influenced by the Baule masks and figures from the Ivory Coast. His distinctive style is characterized by long necks and faces, and by his signature small, hazy eyes. We recently encountered one of his drawings in need of minor treatment and cleaning.

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Shattered in Shipment: Saving a Work from Broken Glass

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Shattered in Shipment: Saving a Work from Broken Glass

At The Conservation Center, we are acutely aware that accidents happen, so that is why we offer our services at EXPO Chicago every year.  Our team of art handlers and conservators prepare annually to assist in every way possible as hundreds of pieces of art are installed in Navy Pier over two short days.  This year we assisted with a piece that suffered damage from international shipment.  Somewhere along the way, the glass shattered and the paper piece underneath was in need of a quick rescue.

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Timeless Techniques: Treating a Gilded Mirror

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Timeless Techniques: Treating a Gilded Mirror

The Center's Gilding Department specializes in the preservation of frames and objects with gold, silver, and metal leaf applied to the surface. A wonderful example of the type of projects our Gilding Conservators frequently undertake recently came to us in the form of a mirror in need of conservation.

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A Six-Panel Screen and a Panel of Conservators

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A Six-Panel Screen and a Panel of Conservators

Whether ancient, contemporary, or any time in between, there are countless types of artwork of all styles and ages that challenge conservators. Every piece of artwork has its own nuances and characteristics that are the result of the artist’s technique, the materials used, and the conditions the artwork experiences over the years. When it comes to conservation there is probably no type of artwork as commonly complex as traditional Asian screens. Typically constructed of paper decorated with paints, gilding, and stretched over a wooden support, Asian screens are a type of object that can require consultations including conservators in many different specialties. Collaboration between paper, furniture, painting, and gilding conservators can be critical to determine the appropriate treatment and achieve successful results when treating Asian screens.

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