Jun Kaneko & Ursula Von Rydingsvard Sculpture

We assessed and treated a private collection of modern outdoor sculpture in Rhode Island in 2017. The sculpture collection includes a large glazed ceramic sphere by artist Jun Kaneko, and a tall whirlwind-like bronze by Ursula von Rydingsvard. These sculptures were installed in the last few years, and required maintenance work to ward off deterioration caused by the New England marine environment.

We were contracted to perform an assessment of the works in the collection, and carry out treatment on the Kaneko and von Rydingsvard sculptures. The treatment of the von Rydingsvard bronze sculpture involved removal of insect nests and organic deposits, overall washing, and the application of a conservation grade wax protective coating. The Kaneko ceramic sculpture had begun to show signs of potential glaze failure, with some crazing and minor losses. Its treatment therefore included the consolidation of lifting glaze surrounding the losses with an ethyl silicate based product, and the filling of losses with a colour-matched, bulked acrylic. Reports outlining the treatment work performed on each sculpture, as well as maintenance recommendations for their future care, were provided to the client upon completion of the project.