Date of Award
9-2026
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage and Conservation Science and Imaging , M.A./M.S.
Department
Art Conservation Department
Advisor
Emily Hamilton, M.A.
Department Home page
https://artconservation.buffalostate.edu/
First Reader
Jiuan Jiuan Chen, M.A.
Second Reader
Rebecca Ploeger, Ph.D.
Third Reader
Glennis Rayermann, Ph.D.
Abstract
Robert Longo's Wrestlers (1979) is a large-scale relief composed of high-strength gypsum (Hydrocal), mounted on an engineered wood fiber (MDF) support and finished with automotive lacquer. Produced in Buffalo, New York, the work emerged from the early Boys Slow Dance exhibition and draws on appropriated cinematic imagery of the mythic combat between Hercules and Antaeus. The relief reflects Longo's engagement with casting and serial production, translating dynamic bodily gestures into durable form. Technical examination identified vulnerabilities characteristic of late twentieth-century mixed-media sculpture, including cracking in the plaster accompanied by corresponding fissures in the lacquer layer. Archival research, material analysis, and interviews with Longo and fabricator Ralph Ranieri informed a conservation approach that balanced structural stabilization with the preservation of conceptual intent. As both a discrete object and part of a reproducible series, Wrestlers underscores the need for conservation strategies that address material condition alongside broader questions of authorship and reproducibility in postmodern sculpture.
Recommended Citation
Becker, Mackenzie, "Conservation of Wrestlers by Robert Longo: Preserving an Original Plaster Cast through Artist Collaboration" (2026). Art Conservation Master's Projects. 102.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/art_con_projects/102
Included in
Art and Materials Conservation Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Sculpture Commons
Archival Statement
This material is part of a digital archival collection. This item was created or digitized prior to April 24, 2026, or is a reproduction of physical media created before that date. It is preserved specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. In accordance with the ADA Title II regulations, Butler Library provides accessible versions of archival materials upon request for affiliated faculty, staff, and students. To request an accommodation for this item, please submit a remediation request form.
