For best experience please turn on javascript and use a modern browser!
You are using a browser that is no longer supported by Microsoft. Please upgrade your browser. The site may not present itself correctly if you continue browsing.
POPE: Resin Bleed
The research project 'Processes of Physical Emergence of Resin Bleed: Causes, Prevention, Treatment (POPE: Resin Bleed)' aims to gain a better understanding of the processes leading to resin bleed in wood and how to prevent it in works of art.
Various sculptures by the British/Australian artist Nicholas Pope (1949), including in the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum, demonstrate how resin bleed has locally dissolved the painted surface, leading to stickiness, paint loss and an overall negative appearance of the work. The research aims to identify the mechanisms behind resin bleeding, which should lead to a conservation treatment of one of these sculptures, The Village, the Church or Myself (1986) as part of the research, so that sculpture can feature as a key object in the exhibition on Art & Project in the Kröller-Müller Museum, 30 September 2023–25 February 2024.
Interdisciplinary research
In POPE: Resin Bleed, conservation experts from the Rijksmuseum, Kröller-Müller Museum, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, and the University of Amsterdam join forces in interdisciplinary research to better understand the conservation problem of Pope’s sculptures with resin bleed and find appropriate ways to treat the artworks. This includes material research, such as the identification of the composition of the resin and paint layer, making reconstructions to test different treatment options, and artificial ageing of resinous wood samples for a better understanding of the processes causing resin bleed and how it may be prevented, as well as oral history research, including an artist interview with Nicholas Pope to document his ideas in relation to his use of materials and the phenomena changing the appearance of his work. The resulting information will be sustainably archived and made accessible from the Interviews for Conservation Research collection at DANS-KNAW, while the project results will be disseminated to form a basis for further research into other affected works by resin bleed and the conservation of the work of Nicholas Pope in general.
Project Leader
Paul van Duin (Rijksmuseum)
Project Team
Welmoed Kreb, Independent Conservator of Furniture and Wooden Objects
Tirza Mol, Rijksmuseum
Marcel van der Sande, Kröller-Müller Museum
Saskia Smulders - de Jong, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
Sanneke Stigter, University of Amsterdam
Project Partners
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Kröller-Müller Museum
University of Amsterdam
Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
Cookie Consent
The UvA uses cookies to ensure the basic functionality of the site and for statistical and optimisation purposes. Cookies are also placed to display third-party content and for marketing purposes. Click 'Accept all cookies' to consent to the placement of all cookies, or choose 'Decline' to only accept functional and analytical cookies. Also read the UvA Privacy statement.