Travel Preparations for a "Soup Can"
Jessica Lunk has freed Andy Warhol's "Big Torn Campbell's Soup Can (Black Beans)," dating from 1962, from nearly 13 meters of black adhesive tape, and sent the work on a journey to Madrid. For #32, she explains why it even became necessary to use a scalpel, and exactly what makes the Düsseldorf "Soup Can" so very special.
"The black adhesive tape was certainly not put there by Andy Warhol!" This verdict emerged from a joint assessment carried out by the conservators of the Kunstsammlung on Andy Warhol's painting on canvas entitled "Big Torn Campbell's Soup Can (Black Beans)". The painting was scheduled to be loaned out in June for the exhibition "Pop Art Myths" in Madrid, and was subjected to a careful examination beforehand with regard to its condition by the conservation workshop of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. Immediately evident was the unusual black adhesive tape found on the work's stretcher.
Andy Warhol's painting on canvas, which dates from 1962, depicts a large can of Campbell's soup against a pale gray background; the label is torn, exposing the metal of the can to view at the center. Executed with acrylic on canvas, and measuring 183 by 137 centimeters, the work proved to be in good condition. But a strip of black adhesive tape that ran around all four sides of the picture (the painting's stretchers) interfered substantially with the work's original character – all the more since the tape overlapped the front sides of the stretchers by several millimeters.
Recovering the work's authenticity
Seen from the front, the work has thereby acquired a thick, black border that gives the picture the appearance of a framed poster. Careful investigation of the painting allowed us to conclude that at some unknown point in time, the work was doubled, which is to say that a second piece of supporting fabric was glued to the back of the original canvas. Formerly, this method was used frequently, for example when the canvas's original stretched edges were damaged, or even entirely missing. In such cases, it was customary to furnish the stretched edges with adhesive tape, covering the damaged areas and giving the work a more 'aesthetic' overall appearance.
The decision to remove the black adhesive tape entirely was arrived at quickly, and involved no additional conservation or restoration imperatives. Instead, the decisive criteria was the recovery of the work's authenticity, its originality – especially since it seemed probable that we were dealing with a later addition, and one that was not influenced by Andy Warhol himself. Following initial tests, it proved relatively simple to remove the black adhesive strip using a scalpel. Its removal revealed a further layer of brown paper adhesive tape, which was also removed cautiously using a solvent gel. Altogether 12.8 meters of adhesive tape were removed over a period of weeks – an effort requiring the patience of a saint. The now exposed stretched edges revealed the reason for the later doubling, for they had been detached completely from the front of the picture.
The Düsseldorf Soup Can
The weeks of work required to remove the adhesive tape, and the subsequent patching and retouching of the front stretcher edges proved well worthwhile: the work has benefited aesthetically, and the original appearance of the "Soup Can" has been restored to view – further underscoring its singularity in the process. For the Düsseldorf "Soup Can" now stands revealed as an exceptional work within Warhol's oeuvre. The American Pop artist produced silkscreens of Campbell's soup cans in countless variations. The Düsseldorf painting on canvas from 1962, however, is one of only six traceable versions that feature a torn label, and was moreover painted by hand shortly before Warhol turned to silkscreen production processes that same year.
Andy Warhol's "Big Torn Campbell's Soup Can (Black Beans)" can be admired – freed now of its adhesive tape additions – at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid in the exhibition "Pop Art Myths." If the journey seems excessive, you will in all likelihood have the opportunity to admire the restored work in the new year at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen!
Jessica Lunk is a trainee with the department of conservation and restoration at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. She specializes in the conservation and restoration of modern and contemporary art.
The exhibition "Pop Art Myths" runs until September 1, 2014 at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid.
www.museothyssen.org
