Wow, well, I would have thought that Gehry would have anticipated the environmental impact on his design and that the graffiti sponge would have been intentional. Therefore to worry over discoloration, applications of anti-graffiti coating and such is an unfaithful rejection of the artists intended patina.

][<en

Replace the old formica with new formica to match, and buy a shitload of it for at

Date: 12 Feb 2009
From: Arantza Garcia <agarcia [at] guggenheim-bilbao__es>
Subject: Formica

We have a laminated plastic (bright red Formica) outdoor installation in our collection that has been hit often by graffiti vandals and subsequently by harsh graffiti-removal chemicals.

We have recently protected the accessible areas of the piece with an anti-graffiti coating (a sacrificial type) but the use of chemicals to remove the graffiti have resulted in discoloration of the
Formica. Moreover, many tags and graffiti cannot be completely removed since they pass through the protective coating and penetrate into the Formica.

I would be interested to hear about various experiences anybody may have had with conservation of Formica surfaces outdoors in general.

Arantza Garcia Dpto. de Conservacion
Museo Guggenheim Bilbao
+34 9 403 91 26 Fax: +34 9 435 90 61

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