Examination of Paint Delamination in C’est grace à nous by Asger Jorn

The painting C’est grace a nous by Asger Jorn shows unusually soft black paint with substantial delamination. To provide insight into the condition and conservation issues, samples were analysed using Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Direct temperature Mass Spectrometry (DTMS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). The results show that the oil medium of the black paint layer in contact with the zinc containing ground has contributed to the development of zinc fatty acid salts (zinc soaps). Examination of the painting confirmed that the paint delamination was mainly found where the black paint was unusually soft. The implications for delamination and considerations for a possible consolidation treatment of C’est grace a nous are discussed in the context of the analytical results.