Endangered Art: Reclaiming a Legacy

Category : MulvaneExhibits

Location: Upper Level Galleries

June - December 2024

The paintings in Endangered Art: Reclaiming a Legacy were acquired during the first six decades of the Mulvane’s existence, when less was known about art preservation. Over the years, they were exposed to pollutants, fluctuating temperatures, and UV light. Under these conditions, many of them sustained serious damage. In 2018, the Mulvane Art Museum launched the Endangered Art program, which supports the technical study and conservation of paintings in the permanent collection. Early discussions among staff centered around transparency and the importance of engaging the public in conversations about the artworks, their condition, and the museum’s responsibility regarding their care and use. Generous donors stepped forward to help underwrite the costs of conservation treatment, and today, 32 paintings have undergone dramatic transformations.

Conservation of the Mulvane’s collection has focused on preserving and stabilizing the works. Years of grime have been cleaned, and damage to surfaces and frames has been repaired. In some cases, previous restoration attempts have been reversed and newer conservation techniques introduced to ensure the paintings are preserved for future generations. Endangered Art: Reclaiming a Legacy showcases the works that have so far been treated, demonstrating the museum’s commitment to preserving the art that has come into the collection over the Mulvane’s 100-year history.

Image above: attr. to Albert Bierstadt, Niagara Falls (detail), mid to late 19th century, oil on canvas. Permanent collection of the Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University.

Explore selected works

Frederick Ballard Williams's early twentieth-century painting Summer Pastoral had an extensive system of cracks known as craquelure before its treatment.

Prior to conservation:

summer pastoal

Conservators stabilized areas that were lifting, tenting, and cupping by cooling the painting under pressure. They fused cracked paint by placing the work on a heated vacuum suction table. Then they filled and in-painted areas of paint loss and applied a new varnish. The frame was missing many small pieces, so conservators sculpted it with plaster and bole. They cast eleven molds, recast two corners, and reconstructed the losses. Gold pigments were applied to match these areas to the surrounding frame.

After conservation:

summer pastoral

Frederick Ballard Williams (American, 1871-1956)
Summer Pastoral, circa 1908-1933
oil on canvas
Gift of Mrs. H.S. Morgan and S.F. Hughes, 33-11-408
Permanent collection of the Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University

Niagara Falls is attributed to renowned landscapist Albert Bierstadt. Decades before the painting entered the Mulvane collection, it sustained severe damage from a burst pipe. Treatments were attempted over the years, some of which caused more harm to the work. At the time of its 2023 restoration, Niagara Falls was in poor condition.

Prior to conservation:

bierstadt

After thorough inspection and testing, conservators cleaned grime and overpaint from the work, stabilized weak structural elements, and added pigment to areas of paint loss. They coated the painting with thin layers of protective varnish, and cast molds to recreate the frame’s missing pieces.

After conservation:

bierstadt

Attributed to Albert Bierstadt (German American, 1830-1902)
Niagara Falls, mid to late 19th century
oil on canvas
Gift of Dr. Dorothy Fuller, 86-11-27
Permanent collection of the Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University

The face of the young girl in Charles Hawthorne's c. 1928 painting Wildflowers was damaged while the painting hung in an office on Washburn campus. Sometime around 1980, facilities workers accidentally dripped paint on the work and attempted to clean it with turpentine, which significantly damaged it.

Prior to conservation:

wildflowers

Conservators cleaned grime from the painting, reversed waves and dents in the surface, and in-painted the areas of damage.

After conservation:

wildflowers

Charles Webster Hawthorne (American, 1872-1930)
Wildflowers, c. 1928
oil on canvas
Donation of 100 Subscribers, 00-11-407
Permanent collection of the Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University