If you’ve been anywhere near the Musical Arts Center on Indiana University's Bloomington campus this fall, you might’ve noticed a giant tent and scaffolding where the big red sculpture used to be. The sculpture is still there — it’s undergoing restoration.
Katie Chattin, IU’s public art and cultural heritage director, says rust and corrosion was spotted on the piece a few years ago.
The 40-foot abstract steel sculpture is called Peau Rouge. It came to IU in 1971 in partnership with the Musical Arts Center. The piece was the last Alexander Calder site-specific commission of his life.
Chattin says the restoration took 3 years of planning and coordination with the Calder Foundation and with sculpture conservator Abigail Mack of Mack Art Conservation.
After the crew sand blasted the sculpture down to bare metal and repaired the damaged areas, they applied coats of white primer. The sculpture received the final topcoats of “Calder Red” in mid-November.
“Temperature matters, and the enclosure is part of that,” Chattin said. “We really needed to be right around fifty–five, sixty degrees.”
The unveiling of the restored Calder sculpture is scheduled for early December.
