Left: before restoration; right: after restoration
The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art recently reinstalled the newly restored Albert Bierstadt painting Near Big Tree Grove, King’s River. The painting has been a part of the museum’s permanent collection since 1981. The work was donated by Mrs. Harold P. Dugdale, who had owned the painting since 1948. The conservation work was completed by Peggy Van Witt of Van Witt Conservation this summer.
Albert Bierstadt was one of the foremost artists of the mid-19th century who helped to shape the vision of the American West. Survey teams and scientific expeditions would often ask an artist to join their team to record the journeys. In May of 1859, Bierstadt departed from St. Joseph with Colonel Frederick Lander and his expedition to the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. He would join several other expeditions between 1863 and 1889, including a trip in the 1870s to the Sierra Nevada range that led to the creation of this painting. This area, now part of the Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, was just beginning to be mapped by geologists and logging companies. Images such as Near Big Tree Grove, King’s River stoked the imagination of viewers on the East Coast and Europe with the beauty and possibilities presented by the West. This painting is an important object for helping the Albrecht-Kemper Museum tell the story of American landscape painting.
Last year members of the Westward Gateway chapter of The Questers organization contacted the museum about how their organization could support the work of the AKMA. The Questers have a mission to “keep history alive by supporting preservation, restoration and education” and awards grants at the national level to support projects proposed by their local chapters. The museum was excited to have their support in completing the conservation needed for this painting.
Though in generally good condition, the painting was discolored with aged, yellowed varnish and years of exposure to nicotine before it arrived at the museum. The canvas was also beginning to show wear at the edges of the stretcher bars. Van Witt removed the layers of varnish and inpainted small areas of checkered paint. The canvas was lined and reattached to the stretcher bars for long-term stability without causing further tension on the fibers. Finally, a new coat of varnish was applied to protect the surface while allowing the rich highlights and shadows of Bierstadt’s scene to fill the viewer with wonder at the majesty of the mountain vista.
The painting is now on view in the Permanent Collection galleries at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. Information about visiting the museum can be found at www.albrecht-kemper.org.
Financial assistance provided by the St. Joseph, Missouri Visitors Bureau.
