Developing New Paint Systems

The requirements for paints used in outdoor painted sculpture conservation are complex: they need to replicate the original artist materials in terms of gloss, color, and texture, while being as durable as possible in outdoor environments at a reasonable cost.

Although good paints with excellent performance characteristics are commercially available, they may not meet all the requirements necessary for conservation treatment. For example, a suitable product line might be identified but then prove difficult in matching needed gloss and color for the sculpture. Durability is also an elusive concept, as it is viewed on different scales by the paint industry and by conservators who would like to see longer time between costly treatments.

To address these issues the Conservation Institute has partnered with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), which has been working to investigate new paint formulations suitable for conservation—the project builds off of previous work on matte black paints for artist Alexander Calder carried out by the ARL in collaboration with the National Gallery, Washington DC.

The first step of the Institute’s collaboration with ARL is the development of a suite of colors suitable for the repainting of Calder sculptures and approved by the Calder Foundation for this purpose. Joining the Institute and ARL in this work is independent conservator Abigail Mack, who works extensively with Calder's outdoor sculptures, and Niles Protective Coatings, the company manufacturing the paints formulated by the army.

In addition to the extensive artificial aging carried out at the ARL to test these paints, the Institute will conduct a comprehensive monitoring campaign on the repainted sculptures to obtain "real life" data. Based on this work, the project partners will then develop additional color sets suitable for use on the work of other artists.