Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power opens at the Brooklyn Museum in less than a month! For the Brooklyn display of this touring exhibition, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art Ashley James has expertly expanded upon the stories told by including numerous artworks from the Brooklyn Museum collection and beyond.
One such artwork is Brooklyn Museum’s large abstract painting Aggression (ca. 1973) by James Phillips. Phillips, who was part of multiple instrumental African American art collectives starting in the 1960s and 70s and is still active today, used more than just paint in creating this gripping piece. Beneath the vibrant colors are collaged pieces of fabric that give the topmost colors additional texture; the abrupt square edges of the weave pattern subtly disjoint the curvilinear patterns painted on top.
In preparation for display, the painting was brought to the conservation department. It was surface cleaned with soft, dry sponges that can grab loose dirt around the most delicate impasto, and a new backing board was attached. A few areas of cracked and lifting paint at the edges of the collaged fabric were consolidated using an aqueous adhesive. The fabric retains some flexibility even beneath the thick paint, so it was important that the adhesive was applied carefully to prevent paint loss without restraining the shape of the collaged material. Excess adhesive on the surface was removed with a moist cotton swab.
Visit Soul of a Nation starting September 14 to learn more about this vital artist and so many others!
Posted by Jessica Ford