backstory: Billiards - Part 2

Many of us at the Neuberger have worked here for a very long time. We know the collection inside and out, and are acutely aware of anything that might have ever happened to any of the works while on our watch. Our records showed nothing, nothing at all, ever happening that would have damaged the cue since it came into the collection in 1974. So then we thought, well, maybe it happened prior to our receiving the work from Mr. Neuberger. I checked with the family and – nope – no one in the family recalled anything ever happening to the work, although they did recount to me how much their father loved billiards. I’m sure that was reason he purchased this particular Smith work, which he donated to the museum years later. So next we looked at old photos from the time of the work’s execution. It definitely started out straight. Absolutely straight.

So what happened???

Well, colloquially speaking, the sculpture broke itself. This is what the conservator said (although in much more technical terms). The way in which Smith welded the piece actually caused the cue to torque over time on its own. It bent itself. Luckily, this is something that the conservator was able to fix, using gentle pressure on the welds that torqued over a long period of time. And now it’s straight again.

One of the most special things about the conservation of The Billiard Player is that it was supported by the artist’s two daughters … a very special contribution to our stewardship of a very important work in our collection. Our grateful thanks to them and to the Estate of David Smith for helping facilitate.