Yaacov Agam's Work to Be Restored Soon
For several weeks now, Yaacov Agam’s work titled “8+1 in Motion” has been undergoing restoration at the University of Montpellier. Acquired in 1969 by the University of Sciences of Montpellier, it adorned the lobby of its administrative building for nearly 36 years before being taken down in 2005. This important piece of theUM ’s artistic heritage will soon beUM displayUM the public to enjoy once again.
“This restoration is proving to be complex; it’s a fairly large-scale project that will take us between one and two months to complete,”says Rémy Geindreau, an art conservator and restorer specializing in technical, scientific, and industrial heritage. Together with her colleague Mélanie Paul-Hazard, who specializes in sculpture and contemporary art, they are patiently working in the historic buildings of the medical school to restore a work of art that has been worn down by time.
“8+1 in Motion.” A work created in 1969 by Yaacov Agam. At the time, architects Philippe Jaulmes and Jean de Richemond were in charge of designing the new campuses for the faculties of science and humanities. As part of the“1% Artistic” program—a scheme established in 1951 requiring the government to commission works of art to decorate public buildings—the two architects devised an ambitious decoration plan and enlisted renowned artists such as Pol Bury, Yvaral, and Yaacov Agam.
Designed to play with light
Yaacov Agam, a specialist in kinetic art, has created a work designed to play with the effects of light and form.“It consists of 18 wooden panels covered with stainless steel sheets mounted on a black-painted wall. The installation is 16 meters long in total. One might think that the panels are all identical, yet they all feature subtle variations,”explains Rémy Geindreau.
Each panel features eight small black fins equipped with a mechanism that allows them to be rotated, inviting the public to alter the compositions. On the back of each fin, a spectrum of colors is reflected in the panel’s polished metal, creating different lighting effects depending on the position of the fins.
A work that has become unreadable
“Unfortunately, over time,56 of the 144 fins have disappeared or been broken, and the stainless steel plates have become encrusted with grime and no longer reflect the colored spectra. The entire kinetic aspect has been lost, and the work has become unrecognizable to the public,”says Audrey Théron, museum collections curator at the University of Montpellier. To prevent further damage, the work was taken down in 2005 and then stored in various locations before being moved to the historic site of the Faculty of Medicine.
So it took 15 years for this “8+1” to finally be put back into motion. It was a long but necessary wait for Audrey Théron:“The 1% art mandate requires public institutions to maintain works of art, which can sometimes be costly. We have to find the funding.”The cost for the first phase of restoration on this work amounts to €20,000, which the Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs (DRAC) has covered.
Stop the changes
“The goal of this restoration is not to make the artwork look brand-new, but to halt the ongoing deterioration in order to protect it and restore its legibility,” explains Mélanie Paul-Hazard. Even if they are warped or scratched, replacing the stainless steel plates or polishing them excessively is out of the question. The goal is to preserve the physical integrity of the artwork and retain the original material. This involves making compromises, such as leaving deep scratches as they are.”
Each stainless steel panel was thus completely disassembled, dusted off, cleaned, re-glued, and polished. Deformations in the steel were partially corrected, and the edge strips were restored where they had been missing. The fin locking mechanisms were disassembled, lubricated if necessary, and treated against corrosion. The fins that were still in place were straightened, cleaned, and any dents were smoothed out.
A true investigative effort
This work requires particular patience and precision when dealing with contemporary materials, as Rémy Geindreau points out:“We have fewer studies to draw on for restoring stainless steel than for ancient archaeological metals.” The challenge is even greater when the restoration involves reconstructing missing elements—particularly the fins and their color spectrum.“The color sequence on the fins is not random; we’ve already identified eight recurring patterns. A restoration requires a thorough investigation to understand how the work was conceived.”
Restorers face another requirement: reversibility, as Mélanie Paul-Hazard explains.“Everything we add to the artwork must be removable. For example, we don’t use epoxy adhesive; instead, we use a reversible adhesive that ages well.” All of the interventions carried out by the restorers are, in fact, precisely documented in a report.“It is important to clearly distinguish between what is original and what has been altered by successive restorers so that we do not misunderstand the work a few decades from now.”
An artistic heritage waiting to be rediscovered
In a few months, the “8+1 en mouvement” should return to its original location on the Triolet campus and delight a new generation of students with its play of colors. This will be an opportunity to rediscover the University’s artistic heritage, including Pol Bury’s Columns (1974), the murals and exterior cladding of the university library created by Yvaral (1972), the tapestry by François Desnoyer (1972), and Albert Dupin ’s Seven Signs of Life(1970). And, of course, let’s not forget the new works that will enhance the brand-new Village des sciences.