Project Summary:

Philadelphia artist, Isaiah Zagar is well known for his iconic mosaic murals that can be found on more than 200 public walls throughout the city of Philadelphia. This privately owned oil-on-canvas self portrait was brought to our studio in unstable condition with actively flaking paint and a surface covered in layers of dust, fibers, and debris. The painting is said to have been stored in the artist’s studio, suggesting the dirt may have included alkaline mortar dust from his mosaic work. Alkaline materials in prolonged contact with artwork and in fluctuating temperature and relative humidity cycles could cause permanent chemical changes to the paint film in the form of bleaching and blanching. 

To remedy this, the painting was thoroughly dry-cleaned with a brush and light vacuum suction on both the front and back. After extensive testing, the grime was further reduced with a custom aqueous cleaning solution. After cleaning, a conservation adhesive was introduced into the cracks and between layers of lifting paint to stabilize these areas and prevent further damage. Losses were filled and textured to match the surrounding impasto and then inpainted with a reversible conservation paint. Lastly, the painting was lightly keyed out to regain appropriate tension and an archival backing board and new hanging hardware was attached to the verso to ensure safer handling and installation. Following treatment, the paint is stable and the natural sheen variation and tonal relationships across the paint colors were revealed through cleaning.