by Cecile Mear, Conservator of Works on Paper

3/9/2023

CAMConservation , John Ruthven , paper conservation

Paper conservation often involves undoing repairs by others who don’t have the knowledge or materials needed to best preserve the art. I recently examined a drawing by Cincinnati artist John Ruthven (1924 – 2020) with a long tear that had been mended with pressure sensitive tape, often referred to as “Scotch tape.”

by Cecile Mear, Conservator of Works on Paper

2/9/2023

Illustration of Hell , Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds , paper conservation , Hand scroll display

A larger portion of the painting is currently on view in New York until May 7, after which the scroll will travel to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and be on exhibit June 16–September 18, 2023.

by Cecile Mear, Conservator of Works on Paper

1/11/2023

paper conservation , yoshida hiroshi , color woodcut

See these and other woodcut prints (including Himeji Castle in the Morning, a variation of the print seen here) by seven members of the talented Yoshida family spanning most of the twentieth century until April 9, 2023.

by Conservation

11/1/2022

Beyond Bollywood , Indira Devi , Mithila region , paper conservation , oversized drawing

It truly takes a team to make an exhibition. This

by Conservation

8/11/2022

William Blake , The Book of Thel , J.R.R. Tolkien , paper conservation , Haggerty Museum of Art , CAMConservation

The lesser-known book, The Book of Thel, is now featured in an exhibit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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5/19/2022

paper conservation , works on paper , James Stephanoff , King George IV coronation

Our paper conservator’s challenge is to remove enough yellow discoloration from the paper so that it is closer to its original color and more closely matches the other prints in the group.

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4/21/2022

paper conservation , Mexican prints , Jose Ignacio Aguirre

Mexican Printmakers 1920s to 1950s is on display until August 14, where you can see this print and learn about Aguirre and his fellow artists.

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3/24/2022

Joseph Urban , Heinrich Lefler , Brothers Grimm , works on paper , paper conservation , Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

A group of illustrations of Brothers Grimm fairy tales were prepared for matting.

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10/28/2021

Wu Zhongxiong , Asian painting conservation , Asian painting , paper , paper conservation

Shown here is a painting by Wu Zhongxiong that was selected by the Curator of Asian art to include in our next grant application.

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9/30/2021

CAMConservation , paper conservation , Robert Frederick Blum

The print is now on its way to the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. with three other Cincinnati Art Museum pieces for exhibit in Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano.

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6/10/2021

William Doughty , Samuel Johnson , Joshua Reynolds , paper conservation , mezzotint

Early this year the museum was given this portrait of the 17th century English writer Dr. Samuel Johnson.

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5/13/2021

Asian painting , paper conservation

Our paper conservator and our curator of East Asian art have been examining paintings from storage so we can add information to the curatorial and conservation files.

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4/15/2021

Thom Shaw , Phillip O. Smith , paper conservation

This print came to the paper lab because the original framing method had encouraged distortions to form across the top of the paper.

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9/10/2020

paper conservation , embossed print , imprint on paper , Étienne Hajdú , conservation

An amazing transformation took place this summer in the Paper Lab.

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8/6/2020

paper conservation , conservation , behind the scenes , 20th century , Marcel Duchamp , conservation internship , stained print , stained paper

In celebration of his 133rd birthday, let’s take a closer look at Duchamp’s intaglio print of a cubist-style coffee grinder currently undergoing conservation in the Paper Lab.

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7/9/2020

paper conservation , Order of Cincinnatus , Eleventh Cincinnati Exposition , Panorama print , CAC Cincinnati , behind the scenes

This year the Cincinnati Art Museum is again supporting the Contemporary Arts Center by lending a book to their newly opened exhibit, “Tania Candiani: Sounding Labor, Silent Bodies”.

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6/18/2020

Conservation , behind the scenes , Kita Kizuki , Tale of the Bamboo Cutter , Japanese painting , paper conservation , japanese scroll

Staff members have been very active in the museum galleries for the past month. One of the cases that was due for its regular rotation is the hanging scroll case in Gallery 138.

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5/14/2020

paper conservation , stained print , stained paper , Paul Albert Besnard

Our paper conservator has not been in the lab since March, but she is still working on the collection.

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3/19/2020

Martin Schongauer , beta radiography , watermarks , paper conservation , transmitted light

Our paper conservator has been in the darkroom capturing images of watermarks from some of our Old Master prints.

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12/5/2019

Robert Blum , William Merritt Chase , paper conservation , conservation , behind the scenes

This drawing recently came to the paper lab to have some old paper remnants removed. The drawing is on the back of a letter, and some of the writing was obscured.

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10/31/2019

behind the scenes , conservation , Twatchman , letter , John Henry Twachtman , paper conservation

Oil paintings do not usually come to the Paper Lab, but occasionally the conservators share projects, and that is the case here.

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8/8/2019

Helmut Federle , behind the scenes , paper conservation

Sometimes an artist presents us with something that looks good from the front, but when we turn it over we notice that there are problems that can’t be seen when the art is hanging on a wall.

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6/13/2019

behind the scenes , conservation , paper conservation , indian painting , carl bimel collection

This month a new group of paintings is on display in the Indian gallery.

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5/16/2019

keisai eisen , kimono , bijin-ga , paper conservation , conservation , behind the scenes , stations of the tokai road

A group of Japanese prints depicting women wearing elaborate garments was recently in the paper lab.

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4/18/2019

behind the scenes , conservation , James W. and Mary Louise McLaughlin , Mary R. Schiff Library and Archives , paper conservation , archival conservation

Between doing conservation treatments for upcoming exhibitions, our paper conservator and her intern are working on a group of documents from the Mary R. Schiff Library and Archives.

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3/21/2019

behind the scenes , conservation , Kenyon Cox , paper conservation

Kenyon Cox was both a student and a teacher at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. His drawing Satyr and Two Children from 1876 passed through the Paper Lab on its way to the exhibition.

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11/6/2018

behind the scenes , paper conservation , fashion accessories

Posted by Conservation

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8/16/2018

behind the scenes , Collecting Calligraphy , Qur'ran , paper conservation

This page from a Qur’an was written in the 13th century in Spain.

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7/19/2018

conservation , Collecting Calligraphy , Qur'ran , paper conservation , behind the scenes

ur paper conservator is spending the summer looking very closely at intriguing documents that will soon be on view in Collecting Calligraphy: Arts of the Islamic World.

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5/24/2018

behind the scenes , conservation , Jean Wentzel , paper conservation , prints

This spring in paper conservation, we’re looking at a print of Cincinnati, a view of the city from across the river in Kentucky.