Last month on Tumblr, we gave a behind-the-scenes look at the Brooklyn Museum’s Mesoamerican objects

Last month on Tumblr, we gave a behind-the-scenes look at the Brooklyn Museum’s Mesoamerican objects featured in Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving. Now that the exhibition is open (with extended hours!) we can share some of their journey from lab to display. As we discussed before, conservators took photographs, inspected, and if necessary, treated or oversee the fabrication of custom mounts. (For more in depth details on our mount-making process read this post from last summer)When it comes time for objects to be installed in their display cases, often conservators work with the museum’s art handlers to make finishing touches and adjustments. On the left, you see our objects as they entered the conservation lab. Several, including two Colima figures, this Olemic figure, and this Nayarit Female Figure, are laying flat since they cannot stand upright on their own. On the right, they are mounted and installed in the gallery.For objects that don’t have mounts, pieces of Mylar or Melinex, an archival grade polyester sheeting, were cut to match the footprint of each object. The Mylar acts as a barrier layer between the objects and the shelves. In the during-installation image on the left, you can see it under the greenstone necklace while an art handler determines the angle of the mask to its left. Ideally the mounts and mylar disappear once everything has been installed, although in some cases this isn’t possible because of the size or shape of an object.While Kahlo’s paintings and costumes may take center stage in this exhibition, the New York Times described the important role the collection objects played. “In one gallery, the curators set out to re-create the vibe of Kahlo and Rivera’s home. Azure-painted walls and a case of Mesoamerican ceramic and stone sculptures and vessels, from the Brooklyn Museum’s permanent collection, evoke its spirit” said Rebecca Kleinman.Installation view of Mesoamerican collection in Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving. Photo: Vladimir Weinstein / BFA.com The exhibition is only up through May 12, so be sure to come and walk through our Blue House gallery yourself. Posted by Sasha Drosdick -- source link
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