THE ROLAND CUNNINGHAM ART CONSERVATION COLLECTION An important and unusual collection has become available for acquisition and those interested in the visual arts, cultural preservation and African American accomplishments will want to know about it.
The Roland Cunningham Collection expresses and embodies the life's work and career of an accomplished art conservator who worked at the Smithsonian (among other major cultural institutions) for decades and developed far-reaching expertise in restoring paintings and other works of art, advising on preservation and repair strategies and devising techniques for restoring the world's art heritage. Over the years he was involved in a considerable number of important conservation efforts in a major way, e.g.: - Served as Senior Paint Conservator for the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute (28 years) - Restored the Trumbull paintings for the 1976 Bicentennial - Captured first scanning electron microscope images for the National Air and Space Museum - Served as Conservator for major Wadsworth Museum art collections (e.g. Hudson River collection, etc.) - Involved in early investigations of nuclear pigment analysis at the National Institute of Standards and Technology - Restored the murals of the Rockefeller Estate - Served on site in the restoration of objects and paintings damaged in the 1966 flood in Florence and Milan As one of the very, very few African American conservators, Mr. Cunningham made a number of significant contributions to African American art: - Restored various major artworks by black artists for Hampton University museum’s collection - Restored Jacob Lawrence panel paintings (Civil War & Harriet Tubman) - Worked with John Biggers at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts The Cunningham collection consists of his files, records, equipment and career memorabilia. Among the more interesting contents of the Cunningham collection are: - Work files, photographic documentation and notes pertaining to projects he worked on - Condition reports on key artworks he was asked to consult about - Records of his participation in programs, conservation activities and conferences - Files on conservation techniques and materials (including some he personally developed) - Correspondence and discussions with artists, institutions, etc. about conservation issues More information about the Cunningham Collection can be obtained from: - Elvin Montgomery Ph.D., 212-666-4449 (an appraiser retained to assist in the disposition of the collection), or - Mrs. Susan Cunningham (who is responsible for the Cunningham estate), 301-434-4772 ****** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [email protected] Searchable archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/
