In June 2013, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice launched a multi-phase conservation study of paintings by Jackson Pollock. The works, which date from 1942 to 1947, had been acquired directly by art dealer Peggy Guggenheim through her representation of Pollock at her New York gallery, Art of this Century.
During the first phase of the project, ten paintings underwent non-invasive scientific analysis that identified pigments, paint chemistry and changes in composition. The results of this study were presented in October 2013 during a symposium organized by Italy’s Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and the U.S. Academy of Sciences at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in New York.
For the second phase of the endeavor, conservators will focus on ‘Alchemy,’ one of Pollock’s most celebrated paintings and one of the artist’s first all-over abstractions created in his Long Island studio. Starting this month, the canvas will undergo analytical study and treatment at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. The painting’s surface, which is comprised of various layers of enamel, alkyd, oil paint, twine, sand and pebbles, has been dulled by dirt and grime that has accumulated over the years. The conservation efforts will help brighten the painting’s bold colors and restore its sculptural surface.
The historic Pollock project is the first ever undertaken in Italy.
