Building New Traditions in Paintings Conservation at the Getty, 1983-2010
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Oral History Center University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Mark Leonard Mark Leonard: Building New Traditions in Paintings Conservation at the Getty, 1983-2010 Getty Trust Oral History Project Interviews conducted by Amanda Tewes in 2019 Interviews sponsored by the J. Paul Getty Trust Copyright © 2020 by J. Paul Getty Trust Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley ii Since 1954 the Oral History Center of The Bancroft Library, formerly the Regional Oral History Office, has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral History is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is bound with photographs and illustrative materials and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ********************************* Copyright in the manuscript and recording is owned by the J. Paul Getty Trust, which has made the materials available under Creative Commons licenses as follows: Manuscript is licensed under CC-BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and recording is licensed under CC-BY-NC (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Mark Leonard, “Mark Leonard: Building New Traditions in Paintings Conservation at the Getty, 1983-2010” conducted by Amanda Tewes in 2019, Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, under the auspices of the J. Paul Getty Trust, 2020. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley iii Mark Leonard in the Paintings Conservation Studio at the Getty Center, 2001, photo by J. Paul Getty Museum. Painting on the easel: The Return from War: Mars Disarmed by Venus by Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640) and Jan Brueghel the Elder (Flemish, 1568-1625), ca. 1610- 12, oil on panel, 50 1/8 x 64 3/8 inches (JPGM # 2000.68). Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley iv Abstract Mark Leonard is the former head of the Paintings Conservation Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and attended Oberlin College in the 1970s, where he studied studio art, art history, and chemistry. Leonard went on to earn a master of arts in art history and a diploma in art conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. He worked as an assistant conservator of paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before joining the Getty as an associate conservator of paintings in 1983. Leonard became head of the Paintings Conservation Department in 1998 and retired in 2010. This interview includes discussion about: growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and his early exposure to arts; attending Oberlin College in 1972 and studying art conservation; attending the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University in 1976 and studying art history and art conservation; working as a paintings conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art under John Brealey; joining the Getty in 1983 as associate conservator of paintings; the history of the Paintings Conservation Department at the Getty, including colleagues, workspaces, treatment of paintings, and notable exhibitions and catalogs; becoming head of the Paintings Conservation Department in 1998, including duties, budgets and staff, and creation of the Paintings Conservation Council; involvement in Italian lawsuit against the Getty regarding provenance of acquisitions; the Getty Trust, including moving to the Getty Center in 1997, structural organization, changes in leadership, and the Memorial Grove at the Getty Villa; retirement from the Getty in 2010 and work as an artist, including a collaboration with the Yale Center for British Art; and work at the Dallas Museum of Art from 2012 to 2017. Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley v Table of Contents Interview 1: June 11, 2019 Hour 1 1 Born September 25, 1954 in Rochester, New York — Grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Father was an orchestral musician, mother was a schoolteacher — Early exposure to visual arts — Decision to attend Oberlin College in 1972 — Degree in art conservation and training in the Conservation Lab — Volunteering at the Conservation Lab — Difficult work environment at Oberlin College — Taking chemistry courses — Talking with scientist Bob Feller about the importance of chemistry in art conservation — Working with scientists during career in art conservation — Grinding pigments and inspiration for future creation of retouching materials — Importance of confidence in art conservation — Studying abroad in France and studying art history — Decision to attend New York University's Institute of Fine Arts for graduate training in art history and art conservation in 1976 — Living in New York City as a young, gay man — Meeting artists like Frank Stella and Willem de Kooning — Purchasing first work of art by Frank Stella — Graduate work in art conservation and art history — Book co-edited with David Bomford while at the Getty, and teaching art conservation through oral tradition Hour 2 18 Mentorship of John Brealey, and importance of emotion in art conservation — Difference between art restoration and artwork — Impact of art background on approach to restoration — Definition of art conservation — Changes in the status of art conservators — Coursework and internships at NYU — Internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1978 — Brealey's approach to art conservation — Becoming assistant conservator at the Met in 1980 — First painting restored at the Met — Work with two Puvis De Chavannes paintings at the Met — Paintings Conservation Department and projects — Expansion at the Met — Decision to leave the Met — Becoming associate conservator of paintings at the Getty Museum in 1983 — Familiarity with the Getty and Andrea Rothe — Moving to California with partner and ending relationship — Starting a new chapter at the Getty Interview 2: June 12, 2019 Hour 1 36 Familiarity with the Getty, Andrea Rothe, and John Walsh — Focus on acquisitions at the Getty — Development of the Getty Trust — Acquisitions process at the Getty, including working with curators and traveling — Potential for acquiring forgeries — Acquisitions budget — Working at the Getty Villa in the 1980s — Expansion and potential of the Getty Trust — Building the Getty Center — Comparison between the Getty and the Metropolitan Museum of Art — Colleagues and distribution of work in the Paintings Conservation Department — The Conservation Studio — Treatment of James Ensor's The Entry of Christ into Brussels Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley vi Hour 2 52 Working on multiple paintings at a time — Relationship between the Paintings Conservation Department at the Getty and other institutions, including the Huntington Library — Impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall on painting conservation at the Getty — Getty Trust partnerships with German museums — Creating the Paintings Conservation Council — Partnership with the museum at Schwerin to restore Jean-Baptiste Oudry's Clara the Rhinoceros — Challenges of working on Clara the Rhinoceros — Children's book and documentary about the project — Changes in attitudes about showing process of art restoration to the public — Changes in the reputation of the Getty — Changes in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall — Organization of the Getty Trust and relationships between programs, including projects with the Getty Conservation Institute and the Getty Research Institute Hour 3 68 Move to Getty Center, including working with architect Richard Meier, transporting art and equipment, and Andrea Rothe's attitude about the move — Impact of the move on the Getty Trust — Becoming head of the Paintings Conservation Department in 1998 — Interviewing with the Metropolitan Museum of Art several times — Tensions with Andrea Rothe and changing leadership roles in the Department — Hiring new conservators after Andrea Rothe's retirement, including Tiarna Doherty and Sue Ann Chui — Approach to leadership and creating a conflict-free workplace — Duties as head of Paintings Conservation — Financial downturns and budgets at the Getty, and the support of the Paintings Conservation Council — Internship Program at Getty and importance of mentorship — Involvement with curator George Goldner in the Italian lawsuit against the Getty regarding provenance of acquisitions — Changes in leadership at the Trust — Retirement in 2010 Hour 4 85 Italian lawsuit's focus on curator Marion True — Impact of the lawsuit on the Getty Interview 3: June 13, 2019 Hour 1 88 Getty's acquisition of Orazio Gentileschi painting Lot and his Daughters — Conservation of the painting and 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