Sculpture and Conservation Get a Boost with Museum Reopening
The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery reopened in their newly renovated home, the Patent Office Building, on July 1, 2006. The museums are known collectively as the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, which also includes the new Lunder Conservation Center and the Luce Foundation Center for American Art.
Among the preparations for the reopening was the reinstallation of Vacquero, the 16 1/2 foot cowboy sculpture by Luis Jimenez. Jimenez was killed recently in an accident in his studio. Vacquero has welcomed visitors to the American Art Museum since 1990 but was removed during the renovation of the Patent Office Building. Staff from the museum reinstalled the sculpture, which weighs more than a ton, on June 15.
This wall outside the Lunder Conservation
Center shows videos on conservation,
including SOS!. Photo by Carl Hansen.
The new Lunder Conservation Center enables visitors to watch conservators in action, with five state-of-the-art laboratories and studios visible to the public through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The facilities are equipped to treat sculpture, paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, folk art objects, contemporary crafts, and decorative arts and frames. The center also features educational kiosks, public programs, and videos about conservation science and techniques.
Also new is the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, which is the first visible art storage and study center in Washington. Visitors can explore more than 3,300 artworks in the permanent collection in 64 secure glass cases. More than 60 large-scale 19th- and 20th-century sculptures are installed on the main floor. Interactive kiosks will provide information about every object on display, featuring artist biographies, audio interviews, still images, and discussions of each artwork.
The building renovation included replacing more than 550 windows with a laminated glass coated with a UV/UB filter to protect artworks while allowing natural light in. The new roof restores the original copper roofing material and reopens two city-block-long skylights and four circular skylights that light the upper floors. Original marble pavers were restored and reinstalled throughout the building, and all stone facades and interior stone columns were cleaned with noninvasive steam techniques and repaired.