AIC's 41st Annual Meeting

This case-study focuses on the technical study and conservation treatment of three impressions of Lichtenstein’s blue and red ink screenprint on clear plastic, Sandwich and Soda, 1964. Those prints are part of the portfolio X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters), published by The Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, Connecticut; 500 portfolios were printed.

In this study, the three prints owned by the Harvard Art Museums were examined and analyzed to better understand the technique, history and degradation process. Regarding the condition of those prints, two types of pressure-sensitive tapes were attached on the ink layer of two of the three prints, probably to hinge the artworks prior to its acquisition by the Harvard Art Museums. A previous attempt to test the sensitivity of the ink caused some visible damage, which prompted the need for more information about the materials before coming up with the appropriate conservation techniques. The outcome of the scientific analysis of the plastic support, pigments (red and blue) and tapes (carrier and adhesive) using GCMS, FTIR, Raman Spectrometry and LDI-MS (Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry) increased the understanding of the artwork and its current condition and allowed for appropriate treatment choices to be devised and executed.

Results: the plastic support is made of polystyrene, the ink binder is made of a variety of polystyrenes, one of the tapes is made of cellulosic material and the other tape (carrier and adhesive) is a PVA. This scientific research and conservation project included mock-ups on which to test appropriate tape removal techniques (heat, solvents, mechanical), the treatment to remove those tapes and reduce the adhesive residues and suggestions for better housing, hinging system and proper storage environment.

Other objects by Lichtenstein on unusual supports will be examined before the AIC 41st Annual Meeting in an attempt to contextualize Sandwich and Soda within the larger Pop Art Movement.