Case Study: Giraffa Artificiale

In 2023 the Conservation Institute partnered with Museo del Novecento, Museum of Cultures (MUDEC) of Milan, and Centro Conservazione e Restauro La Venaria Reale (CCR) to conserve Giraffa Artificiale by Gino Marotta, a significant Italian Pop Art artist. The work is a nine-foot-tall sculptural giraffe, masterfully constructed in 1973 by shaping and assembling sixty-seven pieces of transparent pink poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA).

The sculpture, owned by Museo del Novecento, was in storage for over twenty years owing to its poor condition: the work was covered by dust and scratches, its hoof and two tails were broken, and fragments were missing. Damaged artworks made of transparent plastics like Giraffa Artificiale are often kept in storage or deaccessioned from collections because of a lack of knowledge of how to successfully repair them and recover their transparency.

The treatment work was led by Senior Research Specialist Anna Laganà and conducted with CCR collaborators in MUDEC’s conservation laboratory. It included examination and documentation of technique and condition, preliminary tests on mock-ups, cleaning with spray application of agar gel, re-adhering broken pieces, filling scratches and cracks, and reconstructing missing fragments. The treatment successfully reestablished the sculpture’s transparency and intended form, and Giraffa Artificiale is now on display.

An article on the project was featured in Domus.

Given the widespread presence of plastics in cultural heritage collections and the preservation challenges that these materials pose, the project served as a significant opportunity to raise public awareness of plastics conservation while also facilitating the dissemination of conservation methodologies through a variety of outreach and engagement activities.

Livestream for Museum Visitors

The conservation team's daily treatment activities at MUDEC’s laboratory were live streamed at the museum entrance, providing visitors with a real-time view of the conservation process. This offered a behind-the-scenes experience, fostering curiosity, and engaging a large and diverse audience

Laboratory Tours

Conservators conducted lab tours for the public, showcasing the treatment. Local press coverage of the conservation project generated widespread public interest in Milan, attracting to the tours not only local artists and professionals in the art field but also diverse audiences of all ages. Participants, through interactive discussions, gained insights into challenges and processes involved in preserving plastics, from material analysis to hands-on treatments.

Professional Workshop

A free professional development opportunity was offered to 22 conservators from private practices and institutions across Italy. The workshop "The Conservation of Plastics: A Case Study of Gino Marotta's Giraffa Artificiale was led by conservators Anna Laganà (GCI) and Marco Demmelbauer (CCR) during treatment (March 17, 2023 and March 31–April 14, 2023) and organized with Storie di Plastica's team (a local project on plastics).

The workshop focused on the active conservation of plastics (cleaning, adhering, loss compensation, retouching) and discussed attendees’ case studies. It included sessions in the lab where attendees could observe progress during treatment, alongside theoretical sessions. Through this immersive experience, the workshop increased attendees' knowledge of plastic conservation. Lecturers were chosen among the attendees to guarantee that the knowledge gained would be shared with their students, broadening the reach.

Exhibition

The conservation project was also showcased during Giraffa Artificiale’s display at Milan’s Natural History Museum as part of the RAINBOW: Colors and Wonders Between Myths, Art, and Science exhibition (February 17–July 2, 2023). Positioned strategically at the entrance, Giraffa intrigued museum’s visitors, particularly children, with its vibrant color and form. The juxtaposition of a plastic sculptural giraffe with the museum’s natural zoological specimens created a narrative that sparked curiosity on the accompanying didactic panel, which highlighted the sculpture and the conservation efforts involved, fostering dialogue among visitors about conservation.