The unusual scale and delicacy of Automobile Tire Print—it is twenty-two feet long, and the paper on which it is printed is sensitive to light—mean that the frequency and conditions of its display must be considered carefully. In order to protect the work while making it available to as many exhibitions as possible, the SFMOMA conservation team, in consultation with the artist, designed a custom two-sided frame that reveals ten feet of the print on each side, making it possible to rotate the sections that are exposed to light. In this conservation document, Jill Sterrett, SFMOMA’s Director of Collections and Conservation, describes the thinking behind the design and construction of the frame.
The museum will be closed September 14–16, 2026 for a private event. The Museum Store will remain open to the public from 3rd Street.