Irwin untitled dawn to dusk aerial view at dawn

Conservation

Chinati’s Conservation Department is responsible for the physical care of the entire collection. Chinati’s collection comprises the totality of the artwork, buildings, and grounds both physically and philosophically. Developing a collections care and conservation plan is part of Chinati’s thoughtful and comprehensive focus on sustaining the museum for many years to come, by providing for the protection of the permanent collection, the preservation of buildings, and the stewardship of the land.

Chinati loans horizontal wall work, or "progression," to MoMA for Judd retrospective

From March 1–July 11, 2020, the Museum of Modern Art in New York will host a retrospective of the work of Donald Judd. The Chinati Foundation has loaned a horizontal wall work, also known as a "progression," from our permanent collection for this important exhibition.

Damage and repair of scrim in Robert Irwin’s untitled (dawn to dusk)

Shortly before Chinati’s summer solstice event this year in Robert Irwin’s installation untitled (dawn to dusk), the scrim on the dark side was damaged by an impact. The impact left a 37-inch long tear at the bottom of the scrim. It was repaired with the aid of Chinati’s former Director of Conservation Bettina Landgrebe and Vickie Arndt, a former art installer of the Dia Foundation.

Judd works in concrete inspection and field testing

Terra Mare Conservation, LLC (TMC) was contracted by the Chinati Foundation to undertake a site visit to assess the condition of 15 untitled works in concrete (1980–1984) by Donald Judd. The assessment was carried out on April 10–16, 2019, by conservators Claudia Chemello and Paul Mardikian, with Chinati's Director of Conservation Shelley M. Smith and Chinati's conservation department intern, Christopher Gonzales.

Conservation Treatment of John Chamberlain's Roxanne Loup, 1979

The images presented here demonstrate the general treatment model for Chinati's collection of John Chamberlain sculptures. John Chamberlain created Roxanne Loup in 1979 in his characteristic collage technique, with scrap material he formed, fitted, and held together by quick tack-welds. Before executing the stabilization repair in March 2018, thorough archival research was done to understand how it evolved over 40 years into its present condition.
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