After two key ingredients of glue called Beva 371, art protectors began to panic and used to rule out the historical canvas.
But researchers at the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at the University of Akron (UA) in Ohio and the Center for Fine Arts (NYU) Protection at the New York University (NYU) Institute of Fine Arts (NYU) have developed a new, safer version of the adhesive. It is less susceptible to supply chain problems, is less toxic, and comes in various forms, including solvent-free extrusion that looks like rice flour.
Beva 371 is the abbreviation of Berger’s ethylene vinyl ester 371, named after Gustav Berger, an Austrian American conservator who died in 2006. He created the glue in 1972 and it was especially effective in pasting new canvas onto old canvas for old guys to stick new canvas for them to use, which is the process of “lining”. Unlike old glue, it does not blacken the paint layer by seeping into the original canvas and is therefore widely adopted in the industry.
Paris through the window (1913) Resided in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum by Marc Chagall of Russian-French Modernism, it is the first work in the museum collection to be processed with Beva 371. Since then, countless works have benefited from glue since then.
However, after ending one of its main ingredients in 2005, the resin Laropal K-80 has some fear among the protectors. The sticky Cellolyn 21e stopped in 2020 when another important element was produced, and the industry did start to worry. “Without these critical resins, the main resources in the field of art conservation are lost,” Ali Dhinojwala, a professor at the UA School of Engineering and Polymer Sciences, said in a statement.
Fortunately, the Getty Foundation’s conservation canvas project will provide a research grant from New York University (NYU) to develop new adhesives. The university is in partnership with UA’s cutting-edge polymer science and plastics engineering program, Beva 371 Akron was born.
Dhinojwala added: “Find a satisfactory alternative that matches the advantageous thermal properties of the original adhesive is critical to optimizing the material options available to protectors.”
The fact that Beva 371 Akron can be produced in three different forms is another advantage. They are premixed heat-sealed variants like the original formula. The solid spaghetti-like form that once cut into the particles is easier to transport. And soon to be released, pure binder and solvent-free variants.
“We have rigorous performance testing of recipes with leading experts, and we are very excited about the new, protection-optimized formula that will provide more ways for protectors to work,” NYU’s program director Chris McGlinchey said in a statement. “It’s a huge win whenever you enable protectors to do their jobs safer and more efficiently.”
European conservators collaborated with university researchers to develop Beva 371 Akron. “With material innovation and sustainability advances, the project is a bright example of how niche industries like ours can successfully collaborate,” Paul Ackroyd, a conservator of the National Gallery in London, said in a statement.
Researchers who developed Beva 371 Akron presented their findings this week at the American Institute for Conservation’s annual meeting in Minneapolis.
