Women by Women: Behind the scenes
by Francesca Verga
To the average person the hanging and organisation of an exhibition may seem as simple as hanging a few pictures on the wall of a gallery room. However, what painting conservator Lucy Blumenthal and staff of the Durban Art Gallery were presented with last week proved otherwise.
The exhibition 'Women by Women' opened at the Durban Art Gallery on August 25. Only one week earlier, when the wooden crates containing the paintings and paper works from India arrived waterlogged with mouldy artworks, it seemed that there would be little chance of an exhibition at all.
The unpacking of an exhibition usually involves several hands and careful handling, but this time around, it was all hands-on-deck. Armed with dust masks (to prevent inhaling the potentially harmful fumes) and rubber gloves, the staff, (directed by Blumenthal), were instructed step by step during the process. First of all the works needed to be unpacked from the plastic wrapping. It was only when they reached the Conservation Centre that they could be removed from the frames. The containers had at some stage on their travels from India been left in the rain. This created the perfect environment for the proliferation of mould.
The damaged works were taken to the DAG's conservation centre, where Blumenthal assessed the damage. It was crucial that these damaged works not contaminate the rest of the Durban Art Gallery's collection. In order to stop the spread of mould particles, the works were placed in the sun, which is, according to Blumenthal, one of the most effective ways to kill the fungus.
To prevent any further contamination, the packaging in which the works arrived was discarded immediately. The paper works were placed between sheets of special museum blotting paper to absorb the excess water. The reverse-side of the paintings, after being dried in the sun, were cleaned with clove oil, which also aids in the killing of this kind of mould. Once the works reached a stage were they were considered 'safe', and dry, they needed to be prepared for exhibition. Over 100 works needed to be remounted with museum quality mount-board, which is acid-free and protects the artwork from discolouring with age.
Surprisingly, most of the works were returned to their original condition and only a few paper works were beyond repair. The exhibition 'Women by Women' will be on view at the Durban Art Gallery until September 6.
