Gae Aulenti's design for the New Asian Art Museum in San Francisco required the removal of 18 murals by Gottardo Piazzoni
Removing murals from a building is ethically a dicy subject: a mural is site specific… Meaning that historically, it belongs on the wall it was painted on. Its part of the architecture. Theoretically, its removal is ethically wrong from an art history, art conservation, purist point of view. There are, however, circumstances where removal of murals from its intended location is justified… or even heroic! Some of these include demolition of buildings (or parts of), unstable structures and other conditions that run contrary to the preservation of the art.
Even in questionable circumstances where the removal of the mural may not be justified… but it appears to be decided upon that the removal WILL take place (maybe for political reasons)… I am available to lend my expertise because I believe the best result for the artwork is more likely to happen with my help than without it.
I am often asked by contractors and architects what is involved and how much it will cost to remove a mural… over the phone, without even seeing the mural! My answer to this unanswerable question is this video.
This video is made for architects, project planners and general contractors planning jobs where murals may be involved. However, the information should be very interesting for anyone interested in the arts, historic preservation, art history.
