Exhibition and transport of Seurat painting

The following appeared in Museum-L and is reproduced here without the
knowledge or consent of the author

    Date: 14 Mar 95
    From: Nick Tinari <butane [at] cpcn__com>
    Subject: Barnes Foundation Conservation Crisis
    To: Multiple recipients of list MUSEUM-L <MUSEUM-L [at] UNMVMA__BitNet>

    The recent world tour of paintings from the Barnes Foundation was a
    conservation nightmare.  According to condition reports obtained
    from the National Gallery of Art through a Freedom of Information
    Act Request dozens of works left the Foundation with slack and/or
    out of plane canvases. Several works were unlined, and three notable
    large format works: Seurat's Les Poseuses, Matisse's Joy of Life and
    Dance Mural were subjects of the Foundation's former conservator's
    court testimony wherein she recommended that they not travel. On the
    advice of tour sponsor the Washington National Gallery all three
    works did travel.  La Danse ended up in Paris with horizontal
    stretcher creases that were not on condition reports supplied to a
    Pennsylvania court before the mural left the Barnes Foundation.  For
    information on this situation write:

        Barnes Watch
        PO Box 49
        Broomall, PA 19008, USA

    Barnes Watch is a non-profit watchdog group of alumni from the
    Barnes Foundation art education program. You may also contact Nick
    Tinari at butane [at] cpcn__com

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:76
                  Distributed: Sunday, March 19, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-76-019
                                  ***