Restoration Continues with Grapes and Wheat Lintel
As we begin 2024, we begin the year assured of the proper care of Nevelson Chapel now and for future generations, one where the protection of the environment is no longer a question to consider, but the standard. Necessary improvements have been made, including a new HVAC system, lighting, and windows, all with the intention of sustaining the longevity of the artwork.
We are dynamically and rigorously addressing the damage caused by high humidity from an HVAC failure during the COVID-19 shutdown, including bubbling and flaking of paint on the wood substrate.
Conservators Martha Singer and Jean Dommermuth, working with members of the Nevelson Legacy Council Arts Committee guiding the Chapel’s conservation, are treating the most visually-distracting areas first. In Spring 2023, Cross of the Good Shepherd was substantially treated. A visitor to the Chapel today would encounter Dommermuth or Singer hard at work on Grapes and Wheat lintel.
Dommermuth and Singer are re-adhering the paint to the wood surface with a gelatin solution. This not only attaches the paint but smooths and unifies the surfaces.
While effective, the complexity of the condition of the many different pieces of the Chapel may require additional techniques. “We are now using high-tech tools to analyze the chemistry of the interaction between paint and wood. Our experienced conservators are performing trials with a range of materials and techniques to find successful formulas to treat the paint surfaces; many approaches may be needed,” Karen Zukowski, Chair of the Nevelson Legacy Council Arts Committee, said.
In the months ahead, more and more of the sculpture will be treated. Our conservation team, alongside the Committee guiding the work, are driving toward a researched and tailored plan for each component. The Trinity Columns, whose conservation was made possible by the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation, were off-site and not subjected to the humidity spike. They remain a critical “control” in considering the several variables at play. The path forward promises to influence conservation of the Chapel and other Nevelson works. Nevelson’s artistic intention is guiding the process, and will bring longevity to this beloved New York City treasure.
One especially good piece of news revealed in completing this work is that the wood substrate itself is in excellent condition. “While the paint on the Nevelson’s sculptural components sorely needs repair, the structural shell and the architecture of the Chapel are intact,” Zukowski commented.
It is truly an exciting year for Nevelson Chapel, as visitors can not only experience this “oasis of silence” open to the public, but witness active conservation — the tangible impact of years of research and your support.
Continue to be a part of this journey. Come visit. Forward this news to a friend. Make a contribution to the conservation endowment today.
