Estudo para a conservação de uma obra de João Vieira em espuma rígida de poliuretano

João Vieira (1934-2009) was an important avant-garde artist. He was responsible for the first art performance in Portugal. One of the undoubted hallmarks of its vast artistic production was his material experimentalism. One example of this characteristic emerged in the late 60s, when João Vieira started to create somes pieces with polyurethane foams. This paper intends to present a conservation study for one of João Viera’s piece produced in the1980's in projected rigid polyurethane foam. Given the poor condition of this piece (crumbling foam and material flaws), it was imperative to carry out a conservation study. For that, the object was characterized by stereomicroscope, optical microscopy, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy combined with energy spectroscopy dispersive X-ray; and foam consolidation and its stabilization studies were carried out. Due to the lack of existing studies that focus on the treatment of polyurethane rigid foams, an artificial aging (UV-Vis radiation) was carried out for reference samples after treatment, following a proposal described by Thea van Oosten for polyurethane flexible foams - mixture of Impranil® DLV/1 (consolidant) and Tinuvin B75 (stabilizer). To enable a good control and homogeneity of the treatment application, a facing was applied. However, this approach has resulted in a low surface penetration and a layer showing different mechanical properties. The ageing experiment was assessed by stereomicroscope, optical microscope and FTIR. After aging, the treatment proved to be effective in the inhibition of photooxidation and in the aggregation of foam particles. For this reason, its application on the artwork is being considered. Finally, it is important to stress out the need for a continued study that will allow to extend further knowledge about polyurethane rigid foam degradation, allowing the conservation of an important and large collection in foam by João Vieir