backstory: Built to last

Artists have made works of art out of most anything you can imagine. Paper cups, wooden doors, wax… you name it and it’s probably been used by an artist at one time or another. It’s amazingly creative, but for a museum it can be kind of a nightmare. Why? Well, while it’s our job to care for and preserve works of art in our collection, not everything is built to last, as much as we might want it to be.

Segue… Congratulations to Conrad B. and Simon F. for answering correctly my quiz from last week: What was the big object we were in the middle of installing? It was The Assembly Line (with By-Products from a Mechanical Trance) from 1980, part of Dennis Oppenheim’s “Factory Series.” We’ll be in touch with you to schedule a private tour.

OK, back to “built to last”… Guess what was not really built to last forever? Parts of the Oppenheim. Ruh roh, to borrow from Scooby-Doo.

The Assembly Line is an amazing and complex work comprised of a wide variety of materials. It looks kind of like a Dr. Seuss contraption (I know that’s not very art historical sounding of me, but it’s true). And it’s so big that it’s hard to see the whole from looking at just the parts. So, even though we inspected it prior to installation, it wasn’t until we began fitting the pieces together that we realized that a few of the metal bars needed repair. Those sections were removed this afternoon by a conservator. They will be fixed over the next week and returned to the object as quickly as possible. All so that our largest sculpture can last and be viewed and enjoyed by generations.

Be well…

Tracy Fitzpatrick
Director, Neuberger Museum of Art

Find me on Twitter @tracyfitzart