ABSTRACT
Samples from Keith Haring's wall painting of the Necker Children Hospital in Paris were studied by a multi-analytical protocol. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), powder X-ray diffraction (XRDP), Electron microscope (SEM-EDS), Infrared and Raman spectroscopy (µ-FT-IR and µ-Raman) measurements were performed in order to characterize the materials and to identify the art technique used to produce this contemporary work. Materials from the mural suffered from severe detachments of materials and several fragments were found on the ground beneath. Some of these fragments, which were representative of the whole palette and stratigraphic sequence, were collected and studied. The fragments were sufficiently large to enable non-invasive measurements to be performed in order to characterize the materials. A comparison of the data of the techniques applied revealed that Haring's palette was composed of organic pigments such as Naphtol red, phthalocyanine blue and green and Hansa yellow, in accordance with those used previously by the artist in other painted murals.
ABSTRACT
The effectiveness of five polymeric materials for the long-term conservation and restoration of rubber artworks was evaluated by accelerated photo-oxidative degradation studies. Two different ethylene vinyl-acetate resins, generally used in industry and uncommon in conservation field, a new water-based polyurethane, and two ethylene butyl-acrylate resins were assessed for the consolidation of rubber. By monitoring their degradation along time with LED imaging coupled to statistics and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the polymeric materials with the best properties that ensure the protection and security of the artwork were identified. The degradation was performed in solar box simulating the light exposure in a museum, under controlled temperature at no more than 35 °C in order to exclude the thermal effects that could influence the ageing of polymers. The mechanical stress of the treated samples was also investigated. The spectroscopic analyses, the chromatic changes study, and the mechanical degradation were used as indicators of the consolidant stability, allowing the evaluation of the materials selected for the consolidation and conservation of rubber. The ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers resulted the most stable and suitable for the conservation of rubber artworks. Lastly, the conservation treatment identified in this research was employed for the restoration of the contemporary artwork "Presagi di Birnam" made with bicycle inner tubes by the artist Carol Rama.
