The treatment of a polyurethane rigid foam floor piece by Ger van Elk: a study in the conservation of plastics

Plint serie [Baseboard Series] (1967) by the Dutch artist Ger van Elk is a floor sculpture of painted polyurethane foam in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. By 2007, the artwork was in a bad state: a point had broken off and there were dents and holes in the polyurethane foam and lacunae and cracks in the paint layers. The original, thick, poly- urethane varnish layer had become strongly discoloured, which severely impacted the ex- pressiveness of the work. Extensive research was carried out into the meaning of the work, materials used and the manufacture process. Possible treatments were tested on dummies and an innovative filling method for rigid foam was developed. After the structural treatment of the polyurethane and the consolidation and filling of the paint layers, a method was found to remove the badly discoloured varnish.