I like the way they quarantined the work and looked for pests, I wonder if this is the way they look at most unknown artists and their art? "Here come the pests!! Quickly, quickly! Quarantine them!"
I did not know they even did this insect inspection on all paintings, guess thats something photography has over oil on canvas with old wooden frames, no termites or worms!
Here is the painting from the story, I like it so will post it here in the Yaum Museum :), it has a harsh sad sensuality to it.
Person smuggles painting INTO Glenbow Museum
Unusual act done in memory of artist-father
CALGARY — It didn’t take long for security guards at the Glenbow Museum to notice it.
Among the famed landscapes, portraits and abstract paintings typically on display in the museum’s modernist art exhibition, a painting of a semi-nude woman had appeared.
About a week and a half ago an individual, believed to be a man from Calgary, walked into the downtown museum. It was during regular business hours, yet nobody — not even the museum’s guards — appeared to notice as he proceeded to hang a small, wood-framed oil painting of a partially nude woman on the wall of the second-floor exhibition.
“We have a really thorough security patrol and they do regular patrols of every floor of the museum,” said Megan Bailey, communications specialist for the Glenbow Museum. “However, they can’t be in every single room at once.”
Art being smuggled out of museums is not an uncommon scenario, but art being smuggled in? It’s a first for the Glenbow, Bailey said.
“It hasn’t happened at the Glenbow, but it’s definitely happened at other museums across the world,” she said.
An explanation of the surprise addition wasn’t far behind. Taped to the back was a note.
“As a child 50 years ago I recall my father Gerald Dwight Byron with pride would frequently state that his art would be in a museum one day,” read the note, a copy of which was anonymously delivered to the Calgary Herald.
“With regret he passed away that same year,” the note continues. “Well today I which (sic) to fulfil my fathers (sic) dreams.”
While the museum recognizes there is a “sympathetic sense” to the stunt, they don’t encourage others to follow suit, said Bailey. “This maybe wasn’t the best way to go about honouring the wishes of one’s father.”
After the unsolicited painting was discovered, it was quarantined and inspected by a pest control technician, she said. Other nearby paintings were also inspected “for any signs of insects or any other kind of pests that might cause damage to our collection.”
“This is a standard practice for any artifact or piece of art that comes into our museum.”
Even if the man had followed protocol in approaching the museum about displaying the painting, collections manager Daryl Betenia said it’s unlikely the painting would be accepted. The museum’s artistic mandate is to display historical, modernist and contemporary art of Western Canada, with supporting art from the rest of the Canada and some international material to provide context, Betenia said.
“In this particular instance, this artist is a Quebec artist. . . . It doesn’t really have any tie into our mandate,” he said.
The man behind the stunt appears to have struggled with the decision to hang the painting.
“I have been hesitant with a conscience,” the typewritten note says. “My actions might be selfish and irresponsible but Im (sic) being torn apart. What takes precedent (sic), my moral obligations to my parents or museum policy. . . . Please do not disrupt a joyous occasion. I will contact you in one week.”
That final promise was realized on Friday morning when the museum was contacted by an individual claiming to be responsible for the act.
“We’re just arranging right now on the logistics to have the painting returned to him,” Bailey said.
Until then, his identity remains shrouded in mystery.
Byron appears to have been a Quebec-born artist whose specialty was oil paintings, according to a tribute website about Byron created by a man who identifies himself as a close family friend.
“They regarded me as they would a son,” the website’s creator says.
Attempts by the Calgary Herald to contact the individual behind the website were unsuccessful on Friday.
