Collection

On the occasion of International Museum Day, the CA2M opens on Monday 18th of May, and invites you to get to know the storage areas of the Center with the Museum's Conservation team. The CA2M Collection consists of over 1600 works of art from all artistic disciplines, which are joined by over 300 works by 224 artists from the ARCO Foundation Collection, in deposit at the CA2M since last year. The sum total of both collections constitutes a key set of works in order to understand contemporary creation, since they collect the main trends in art from the second half of the 20th Century until today.

REASON FOR INTERVENTION
 

The decision to restore this work was taken following an application for the loan of the work received from Centre Pompidou in Paris for the retrospective exhibition CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI. FAIRE SON TEMPS (13 November 2019 - 16 March 2020). The installation comprises a total of 360 elements in different materials and formats. The primary reason for this intervention was the notable deterioration produced by the corrosion of the metallic elements of the work. The very thin tinplate used for the boxes had reacted to the humidity, giving rise to corrosion which also affected the contents inside the boxes.
 

STATE OF CONSERVATION
 

The state of conservation of the work is below optimum both from an aesthetic as well as a structural viewpoint due to the advance state of oxidation of the boxes. The elements in the installation are as follows:
 

336 metal boxes

Affected by active oxidation, remains of adhesive, small shards of metal, stains, erosion, deformations and surface dirt.

The materials contained inside the boxes:

_ Fabric: the corrosion of the boxes has affected the inside and impregnated the fabrics and stained them with rust. Abundant dirt, deformations, breakages, signs of decomposition and bio-deterioration.

_ Cellulose support: general dirt, stains produced by damp and corrosion of metal. Oxidation of the material, yellowing, acidity, fragility. Biological contamination. Damage caused by incorrect storage such as deformation, creases, folds, breakage, small losses, exfoliation of corners. Traces of different kinds of adhesive tape, namely: sellotape, masking tape, gummed paper. Alterations of dyes: fading, colour bleeding.

_ Photographs: exfoliation in corners. Folds and creases. Corrugation, deformations, abrasions, inscriptions and stains.
 

12 boxes with photos with metal mesh

Montage of black and white photographs adhered to cardboard with adhesive, in turn adhered inside the box at six points with double-sided tape.

Dust and dirt had accumulated on the photographs as well as the boxes and metal mesh. The meshes and the boxes have active points of oxidation and some meshes have small breakages, erosion, deformations and traces of adhesive tapes. The wires holding the meshes are oxidized with some loss or breakage.
 

12 flexo-type lamps

Defective wiring, erosion caused by handling, small loss of paint, traces of adhesives, and general dirt.
 

TREATMENT UNDERTAKEN
 

Description of the different processes according to material:
 

Metal

Hand cleaning of all the boxes using steel wool of varying grades depending on the layer to be removed (000 and 0000), and a mixture of acetic acid (70%) with linseed oil (10%) and 96º alcohol (20%).

Brass brushes were used in areas with greater amounts of rust.

The remains of labels were removed with cotton swabs and 100% acetone dissolvent, and then finished mechanically with scalpels.

Treatment to protect the boxes in order to prevent oxidation with a mixture of 2% Paraloid B72 resin in acetone applied by brush.

Revision of system for mounting the 12 metallic meshes. Removal of rusted wires and replacement by stainless steel wires.
 

Fabric

Gentle micro-vacuuming and application of a biocidal treatment in spray: biotin in distilled water (1/3).

Followed by immersion in a mixture of 50% sodium bicarbonate and citric acid in distilled water, and the application of a specific reductive bleaching agent with final rinsing. Drying with driers and weights.
 

Cellulose support

Surface cleaning with Japanese brushes, elimination of deformations, damp control and weights, tears sutured with methyl-cellulose and Japanese paper. Dry cleaning with make-up sponges and isolated treatment of stains.
 

Photographs

Gentle vacuuming and Japanese brushes.
 

Flexo lamps

Surface cleaning, placement of clamps and replacement of bulbs with LEDs.

Preventive conservation rules applied, coding of all pieces and creation of new more appropriate packaging.

Finally, authorization and acceptance on behalf of the artist was sought at all times for the intervention undertaken, agreeing on the maintenance or conservation of the original aesthetic appearance and a respect for the material integrity of the work.

REASON FOR INTERVENTION
 

The decision to restore this work was taken following an application for the loan of the work for Diccionario incompleto de la fotografía española. CA2M Collection, an upcoming exhibition at Centro Oscar Niemeyer in Avilés and the poor state of conservation of the photocollage.
 

STATE OF CONSERVATION
 

This piece is in the middle of the process of restoration, currently interrupted due to the state of emergency.
The montage of the photocollage was being changed due to the inadequate materials for a correct conservation of the work, given that the back of the MDF board and the adhesives used to support the work were transmitting acidity to the original elements.
 

TREATMENT UNDERTAKEN
 

After first dismounting the work, we proceeded to eliminate all elements harmful for its correct conservation, although it was impossible to remove the cardboard on which the photos were adhered, as this was the original montage by the artist.
Remains of adhesive from sellotape and double-sided tape were removed with the aid of a hot air gun and various kinds of erasers.
Afterwards the front surface of the photographs was cleaned, eliminating fingerprints and any remains of adhesive as far as possible.
The work was then mounted again, adhering the photos lightly and fixing the work as a whole to a passe-partout folder with strips of Japanese paper.

REASON FOR INTERVENTION
 

The installation consists of a mural, comprising four fragments, made by Manuel S. Molezún in 1958, and recovered by Patricia Esquivias in 2016. Located in one of the balconies intervened by Manuel S. Molezún in a building on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, it was removed and donated to CA2M by the artist, which was the reason for the intervention.
 

STATE OF CONSERVATION
 

Following an organoleptic examination of the pieces, it was ascertained that the state of conservation was less then optimum.
Both the support (brick and cement) as well as the ceramic tiles had deteriorated due to the location of the work outdoors, in contact with pollution and changing weather conditions like rain, wind and contrasts of heat and cold.
Once the mural was removed, with the tiles having been previously fixed with adhesive tape to avoid any of them falling off, part of the cement mortar was disaggregated which deteriorated the adhesiveness between it and the tiles and affected the visibility and integrity of the work.
 

TREATMENT UNDERTAKEN
 

The restoration was started with a process of surface cleaning where possible.
The consolidation of the support, the mural, and the fixation or adhesion of the tiles together with the elimination of the adhesives used during the phase of removal were the most delicate tasks.
Afterwards, the volumetric and chromatic reintegration of the tiles was undertaken.
As the final phase of the intervention, grout was added to recover the work’s original aesthetic and then finally a layer of protection was applied.