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. An important piece of the University of Montpellier’s artistic heritage that the public will soon be able to enjoy once again.
““This restoration is proving to be complex; it’s quite a major undertaking that will take us between one and two months of work,”says Rémy Geindreau, a conservator-restorer specializing in technical, scientific, and industrial heritage. Together with his colleague Mélanie Paul-Hazard, who specializes in sculpture and contemporary art, they work patiently in the historic halls of the medical school to restore a work of art that has been ravaged 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
A specialist in kinetic art, Yaacov Agam presents a work designed to play with the interplay of light and form.“It consists of 18 wooden panels covered with stainless steel plates arranged 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 slight 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 illegible
“Over time, unfortunately,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 unreadable to the public,”says Audrey Théron, museum collections manager at the University of Montpellier. To prevent further damage, the work was taken down in 2005 and then stored in various locations before arriving at the historic site of the Faculty of Medicine.
It took 15 years for this “8+1” to finally be restored to working order. A long but necessary wait, according to Audrey Théron:“The 1% Artistic Program requires public institutions to maintain these works, which can sometimes be costly. We have to find the funding.”The cost amounts to €20,000 for the first phase of restoration of this work, 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 further deterioration in order to protect it and restore its legibility,” explains Mélanie Paul-Hazard. Even if they are warped or scratched, there is no question of replacing the stainless steel plates or polishing them excessively. 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.”
Each stainless steel panel was completely disassembled, dusted, cleaned, re-glued, and polished. Deformations in the steel were partially corrected, and edge strips were restored where they had been missing. The fin locking mechanisms were disassembled, lubricated if necessary, and treated against corrosion. The remaining fins were straightened, cleaned, and any dents were smoothed out.
A thorough investigation
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 have already identified eight recurring patterns. A restoration requires thorough investigative work to understand how the piece was conceived.”
Restorers face another requirement: reversibility, as Mélanie Paul-Hazard explains.“Anything we add to the artwork must be able to be removed. 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 as not to misinterpret the work in a few decades.”
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 vibrant colors. This is an opportunity to rediscover the University’s artistic heritage, such as Pol Bury’s Columns (1974), the murals and cladding of the university library created by Yvaral (1972), the tapestry by François Desnoyer (1972), and Albert Dupin ’s Seven Signs of Life(1970). Not to mention, of course, the new works that will enhance the brand-new Village des sciences.