Portrait of the Collector Willy Russ-Young, 20th century
Ferdinand Hodlerexpand_more
Graphiteexpand_more
John DeLaittre Memorial Collection
Gift of funds from Mrs. Horace Ropes
Lucerne DeLaittre Fund (card cat.)expand_more 25.60
Not on Viewexpand_more
Art Champions
Conservation cost: $4,945
During one of Mia’s earliest efforts to build a significant collection of drawings, this spare modernist portrait came to the museum. The artist is Ferdinand Hodler, one of Switzerland’s foremost creative figures of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The sitter is Willy Russ, a leader of the Suchard chocolate company.
When the museum bought this drawing in 1925, the care of paper-based works of art was less well understood and less rigorously practiced than today’s standards. This drawing was pasted down on a sheet of acidic cardboard that is becoming increasingly brittle, endangering the precious drawing.
The proposed conservation treatment involves two main steps. First the brittle backing board needs to be removed and the associated adhesives reduced. Once the drawing is free, the ability of the drawing to withstand washing can be tested. If it can tolerate exposure to water, the drawing will be washed and rinsed to remove impurities and discoloration, giving the portrait a much fresher appearance—in line with the clean feel of the drawn lines.
Contact the Prints and Drawings Department at printstudy@artsmia.org or (612) 870-3113 to Champion this artwork.
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