Conservation of Wall Drawing #120 by Sol LeWitt
Past exhibition
Five of the museum’s conservators work in shifts on the live conservation of Wall Drawing #120 (1971) by Sol LeWitt (Hartford (CT) 1928-New York City (NY) 2007). In a small presentation, you can learn more about the research that preceded the conservation and the genesis of the work.
Painstaking work
For over ten months, the dirt that has accumulated on the surface of Wall Drawing #120 over the past fifty years will be removed for four hours every day. Before this painstaking work could begin, material-technical and art-historical research was conducted to determine the correct approach to the conservation.
Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing #120, 1971
Realization and acquisition
Wall Drawing #120 was installed at the Kröller-Müller Museum in August 1972 on the occasion of the exhibition Diagrams & Drawings. This exhibition included a large number of drawings by artists such as Carl Andre, Robert Morris, Richard Serra and Michael Heizer. The museum acquired Wall Drawing #120 on 28 August 1973 and it has since been part of the permanent presentation.
Extensive research
The presentation around the conservation includes certificates of the work, correspondence with the artist, ideas for other wall drawings and books on LeWitt’s work. Together, this provides insight into the art-historical research conducted prior to the conservation and the decisions made subsequently.
