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Seattle Art Museum receives funding for restoration of significant work by Jackson Pollock

Seattle Art Museum announced it has recieved funding for the restoration of Jackson Pollock’s Sea Change (1947) through the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Sea Change, 1947 Oil and pebbles on canvas Jackson Pollock American, 1912-1956 57 7/8 x 44 1/8 in. (147 x 112.1 cm) Gift of Signora Peggy Guggenheim, 58.55

Sea Change is a cornerstone work in SAM’s modern collection and a significant painting in Pollock’s career. Funding has enabled SAM staff and consulting experts to undertake a thorough technical study of the original materials of the painting and an evaluation of the impact of materials applied in later conservation treatments. The conservation treatment focuses on removing the later restoration in order to recover a surface that more closely reflects Pollock’s original technique and intent.

Pollock is perhaps the best known abstract expressionist painter from the 1940s and 1950s. His painterly style was labeled “action painting” in reference to the electric energy and movement contained in his canvases. Sea Change was part of a breakthrough group of early ‘transitional’ works that Pollock made in 1947, which led away from figuration toward a fully abstract application of his drip technique.

“Bank of America’s award of this art conservation grant creates a lasting legacy for Sea Change, which is one of the anchors of our collection,” said Nicholas Dorman, Chief Conservator at the Seattle Art Museum. “We are extremely grateful to Bank of America for helping us preserve this important work and the lasting benefits it will bring the museum and the entire Northwest.”