What makes an artwork ready for display? Made of wood scraps gathered from the streets of New York, Louise Nevelson’s “Rain Garden Zag IV” (1978) looks tougher than it is. Over decades, areas of paint began lifting and flaking, necessitating a yearslong conservation effort before it could be displayed. Step behind the scenes of this conservation effort: 1. “Rain Garden Zag IV” on view at SFMOMA 2. A closer look: paint lifting and flaking on the sculpture 3. Flakes of paint removed during conservation 4. Pigment patch tests and paint flakes 5. “Rain Garden Zag IV” in the conservation studio Now, the monumental work is back on view—and ready to be experienced as the artist intended. Learn how our conservation team preserves Nevelson’s story at the link in bio. 📍See “Rain Garden Zag IV” on Floor 4 📸: James Gouldthorpe _ [Louise Nevelson, “Rain Garden Zag IV”, 1978; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, gift of the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection; © Estate of Louise Nevelson / Art...