Case Study: CSULB Outdoor Sculpture Collection

In 2015 the Getty Conservation Institute partnered with the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museumat California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the 1965 California International Sculpture Symposium.

The collaboration included treatment of selected sculptures from the CSULB outdoor sculpture collection as well as co-organization of the conference “FAR-SITED: Creating and Conserving Art in Public Places.”

The artwork selected for treatment exemplifies many of the conservation issues posed by outdoor sculpture, especially painted ones, and allowed for application of the research developed at the Conservation Institute. Robert Murray's Duet (1965) was repainted shortly after its initial fabrication and painting, with a markedly darker and warmer paint. It was subsequently repainted many times. Deciding on a treatment course implies identifying the different paints applied and especially the original layer; deciding on the best way to retrieve and document the original color; and choosing whether to revert to the original color or stick with the darker red.

The 1965 California International Sculpture Symposium was a major milestone—the first international sculpture symposium to be held in the United States, the first to occur on a college campus, and the first to build partnerships with industry to create innovative sculptures using new industrial materials and technologies. Internationally recognized artists worked with industrial partners such as Bethlehem Steel, Fellows & Stewart Shipyard, and North American Aviation in the creation of these landmark works.

“FAR-SITED: Creating and Conserving Art in Public Places” was held October 16-18, 2015, and examined new trends in public art, the use of new materials and technology, and the role of conservation for art in the public realm.