In 2010 and 2012, SFMOMA’s conservation team performed extensive materials testing in an attempt to replicate the paper and paint effects observed on the surface of Rauschenberg’s Untitled [glossy black painting]. The mock-up process helps the conservation team understand how the work was constructed, providing information that will guide future treatments of the painting’s fragile surface. The 2010 tests were documented with still photography (as seen here); the
2012 process was documented on video. Notes by SFMOMA associate conservator Amanda Hunter Johnson.