newy.com.au – Newcastle Museum has removed a 1953 mural from display for cleaning and assessment as part of a conservation program covering nine items in its collection.
The work by Italian born Australian artist Virgil Lo Schiavo depicts Newcastle’s history after European settlement through 10 figures representing cedar getters, sheep graziers, coal miners, steelmakers and shipbuilders. All were modelled on the artist himself.
The mural had been displayed in the Link Gallery since the museum opened at its Honeysuckle site in August 2011. Its recent formal donation by the Wallsend BIA has secured its place in the museum’s permanent collection.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia originally commissioned the painting and displayed it in its Newcastle branch. It later moved to Wallsend Public School before passing to the Wallsend BIA, which lent it to the museum for the 2011 opening.
City of Newcastle’s Director of Museum, Archives, Libraries and Learning Julie Baird said the museum cared for more than 13,500 items documenting the city and the people who shaped it.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to bring conservation work in-house, which means our team can take a very deliberate and long-term look at how we care for Newcastle’s history without relying on grant funding,” Ms Baird said.
“This is one of nine items in our collection the Museum is working to conserve during the financial year.”
Ms Baird said the museum had already restored a 1970s State Dockyards fire engine, an 1820s map of the Hunter by Henry Dangar and a piece of fishbelly rail from The Hill, an example of early railway technology.
Conservation of the mural will begin with an assessment of its condition, followed by a careful clean. Advice from expert conservators will guide decisions on any further treatment.
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