Abstract:
In 1989, painting conservators at the Smithsonian American Art Museum were confronted by the vandalism of Morris Louis’ Beta Upsilon, a masterwork painting from his Unfurled series (1960–61). Composed of colored bands of paint flowing inward from the edges on an unprimed canvas, the work was found defaced with penciled graffiti on the raw canvas that mimicked the unfurling lines of colors on both sides. The guilty party was never apprehended, but the damage left the artwork visually disfigured and un-exhibitable. The painting was removed from view after preliminary tests revealed that no treatment available could remove the graffiti without causing harm to the raw canvas. Despite the urgency felt to treat the artwork, conservators advocated for a more cautious approach to finding the right solution. Persistence over three decades, patience through experimentation and research, and perseverance through challenges resulted in the design of a laser system to remove the graffiti without damaging the canvas.
