Conserving the expanded art object for Margel Hinder: Modern in Motion

Abstract

Margel Hinder: Modern in Motion, an exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in early 2021, celebrates the work of Margel Hinder AM (1906–1995), a pioneer of abstraction in Australian sculptural practice. This exhibition gave AGNSW’s Objects and Paper Conservators unique insight into materials and techniques of this highly significant, often underestimated sculptor. To facilitate the authentic display of Hinder’s oeuvre in Modern in Motion, the authors adopted Irvin’s [Irvin S 2005, ‘‘The artist’s sanction in contemporary art’’, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 315–326] concept of the artist’s sanction, undertaking: qualitative analysis of archival materials and artist’s interviews, visual and materials analysis of select maquettes and sculpture. The artist’s focus on the staging of her works to control relational and dematerialised elements—light, movement and space—encouraged the authors to consider the conservation contributions of curatorial and photography departments. The benefits of this case study are two-fold: one, it provides a holistic insight into the life and multifaceted practice of this underrepresented female artist; and two it reveals the importance of interdepartmental collaboration for the authentic presentation and thus conservation of an artist’s work.