May
29

Another bath? I just had one last year!

blog_vaquero2

Smithsonian American Art Museum conservators saddled up and scrubbed down a bucking bronco when “Vaquero,” the iconic sculpture by Luis Jimenez, got its annual cleaning. The fiberglass and acrylic urethane sculpture was washed top to bottom and examined to make sure there was no deterioration or need for repair.A year’s worth of acid rain, car exhaust, bird droppings and pollen were removed from the 16-foot, 6-inch-tall artwork and a protective wax coating was reapplied. The sculpture of a Mexican cowboy astride a bucking horse has become an emblem for the museum since it was installed at the museum’s G Street entrance in 1990.

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Posted: 29 May 2013
About the Author:

Marilyn Epstein is an editor in the Office of Communications and External Relations.