Claes Oldenburg’s False Food Selection comprises a collection of ready-made plastic food items housed in a wooden box. The once relatively realistic food is degrading with items now discolored, deflated and exhibiting bloom. The spoiling of the food is undoubtedly due to its materials; a combination of polyurethane, poly(vinyl chloride) and rubber – three of the most at-risk plastics in museum collections. Other instances of plastic degradation highlighted the need for a comprehensive survey of the polymeric materials in the Harvard Art Museums collection. Since mid-2016 nearly 400 objects containing plastic have been examined as part of the survey. Identification of the polymeric materials, obtained through the tandem use of FTIR and pyrolysis-GCMS, enabled recommendations to be made regarding treatment, handling, display and storage to improve the longevity of plastic objects in the collection. This paper will outline the survey process and results, including technical studies of the polymeric materials in a number of works in the collection with degradation issues.

Understanding our collection: A survey of plastics at the Harvard Art Museums

256th National Meeting (2018)

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