The Modern
PH-225 Clyfford Still 1956 Oil on canvas Unframed: 115 x 104 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (292.1 x 266.07 x 3.81 cm) Collection of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Museum purchase, The Benjamin J. Tillar Memorial Trust
A famous painting made of oil and canvass at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is getting a much-needed restoration, thanks to a grant from Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project, according to a release. The work being restored is PH-225 a painting done by abstract artist Clyfford Still in 1956.
PH-225 has been described as evoking Still’s later painting style, which displays his ability to give pigment textural, gestural, and psychological meaning to his work. In PH-225, Still divides the piece into two aesthetics; his sense of the power of light and dark evokes psychological extremes. Constructed with a combination of palette knives and brushes, the surfaces of this piece of art are complex and multilayered. Restoration of the piece will address cracking, dents, abrasions, and buildup on the paint surface.
"The conservation process will likely take a few weeks at a cost of several thousands of dollars," says Brent Mitchell, Head of Exhibitions. "We will be using painting conservators in Houston, which means there will be additional costs of crating and shipping the painting on top of the actual conservation treatment costs. The Bank of America grant money will help greatly in covering some of these conservation costs, which means the Modern will have more money in its budget to address other needed conservation and preservation issues facing its permanent collection."
Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project, is a global program providing grants to nonprofit cultural institutions to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art. A restoration effort of this size requires special tools and expertise, which are made accessible through the Art Conservation Project grant.
"The care and protection of the works in our permanent collection is the most important mission of the Modern Art Museum," says Dr. Marla Price, Director of the Modern. "We are grateful for the vision and generosity of the Bank of America Foundation in support of these goals.
This effort is just one of 23 cultural institutions that have been named as recipients of this grant.
Since 2010, Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project has supported the preservation of paintings, sculptures, and archeological and architectural pieces of critical importance to cultural heritage and the history of art. More than 237 projects across 40 countries managed by nonprofit cultural institutions received funding to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art that are in danger of deterioration.
This year’s grant recipients include:
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s conservation of Urban Light (2008), a sculpture by American artist Chris Burden that is celebrated as an unofficial symbol of the city. It features 202 historic streetlamps and is one of the museum’s most popular installations.
- Armenian Museum of America’s restoration of 21 illuminated manuscripts, dating back to the fifth century. Many of the surviving works were damaged during World War I or looted and subsequently scattered internationally.
- Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris’ restoration of Rythme (1938), an abstract painting in the Orphism style by French artist Sonia Delaunay.
- National Gallery Singapore’s conservation of Chinese artist Chen Wen Hsi's Gibbons (1977), an ink painting portraying lively primates native to Singapore.
- The Hawai’i State Archives' conservation of three royal portraits including William Cogswell’s portrait of Queen Lili‘uokalani (1892), the last sovereign monarch of Hawai’i.
- Hampton University Museum’s preservation of 29 works on paper by prolific African American artist Dr. John T. Biggers.
- The Arab Image Foundation’s preservation, digitization and documentation of 98 handmade photo albums by Lebanese photographer Agop Kouyoumjian.
“Art and objects of cultural heritage are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of time,” says Brian Siegel, Global Arts, Culture & Heritage Executive at Bank of America. “The conservation of these works allows society at large to continue to be inspired by the rich diversity of the human experience. We support this work as part of our efforts to promote cultural sustainability to preserve this shared history for future generations.”
