by Franck Mercurio, Publications Editor

12/23/2024

WPA, Art Deco, CAMConservation

In December 1937, the Cincinnati Enquirer interviewed William “Harry” Gothard (1908–1968), a 29-year-old artist and budding art conservator, as he painted the final touches on two murals created for Lunken Airport’s newly constructed Administration building.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Conservator of Objects

7/11/2024

Art Deco, CAMConservation, Joseph Urban, 1920s desk lamps, brass, tarnish, objects conservation

This pair of art deco lamps, designed by Joseph Urban, was last on view in 2022 as part of the exhibition Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom by Joseph Urban.

by Obie Linn, Conservator of Textiles

11/16/2023

CAMConservation, selvage, Art Deco, fabric, textile conservation

We’ve got it all! All the width of this 1920s embroidered voile (fine soft sheer fabric), that is.

by Amy Miller Dehan, Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, and Emily Holtrop, Director of Learning & Interpretation

9/26/2022

Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom, Art Deco

Conceived to give the room “legs,” this digital experience allows the public to access the room and its related themes beyond the run of the special exhibition Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom by Joseph Urban.

by Conservation

7/14/2022

Joseph Urban, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

These prints from the museum’s Mary R. Schiff Library are as much a contrast to the old master prints as Elaine Wormser’s bedroom was to the rest of the traditionally decorated apartment.

by Conservation

7/7/2022

CAMConservation, art deco, made with mood, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom, Joseph Urban

Conservation can take you strange places--like up a ladder in a 1929 bedroom!

by Amy Dehan, Curator of Decorative Arts & Design

6/16/2022

Joseph Urban, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom, Decorative Arts and Design, ceramic dog figurines, 1920s

To resurrect the Wormser Bedroom, we relied closely on photographs of the interior taken in 1930. Zooming into these old pictures, we were able to take inventory of Elaine’s collection and determine which pups remained and which, over the years, had gone astray.

by Conservation

6/15/2022

paper, conservation, Albrecht Dürer, CAMConservation, Joseph Urban, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

When private owners generously allow the museum to display their pieces, the conservators sometimes need to put a little effort into stabilizing them before they go into the gallery. This was the case with a monumental woodcut print by Albrecht Dürer that will soon be seen in the Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom by Joseph Urban exhibit.

by Conservation

3/24/2022

Joseph Urban, Heinrich Lefler, Brothers Grimm, works on paper, paper conservation, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

A group of illustrations of Brothers Grimm fairy tales were prepared for matting.

by Talia Shiroma, Joseph Urban Interactive Project Interpretive Intern

2/11/2022

Joseph Urban, Fashion Arts & Textiles, Decorative Arts and Design, Interior Design, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

Next summer, the Cincinnati Art Museum will display an exhibition based on Urban’s late 1920s commission for the Wormser family of Chicago. Over several years of researching this work of art, a bedroom for a young woman, the curatorial team gleaned information about the workers and manufacturers who potentially fabricated many of the room’s design elements.

by Conservation

12/3/2020

CAMconservation, textileconservation, behind the scenes, Joseph Urban, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

This bedspread is getting "ready for her close-up."

by Conservation

5/7/2020

textile conservation, behind the scenes, uphostery conservation, headboard, furnture, Joseph Urban, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

This padded headboard insert has a doppelganger. It is being prepared for an exhibition next year and came to the textile conservation lab for treatment.

by Conservation

10/24/2019

conservation, textile conservation, behind the scenes, Joseph Urban, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

A steady hand and a sharp eye are key for the repair currently underway of this painted silk taffeta bedspread in the textile conservation lab.

by Conservation

5/30/2019

Joseph Urban, 1920s desk lamps, behind the scenes, conservation, Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom

This week the objects conservator is working on an unusual project requiring the skills of an electrician.

by Molly Donnermeyer

6/13/2018

George Barbier, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Mary R. Schiff Library and Archives

Following World War I the style known as Art Deco rose in popularity. Originating in France, Art Deco was a response to the style known as Art Nouveau, which was characterized by its organic and curvilinear lines.