Parrish Art Museum Receives Bank of America Grant to Support Conservation of Historic William Merritt Chase Painting
WATER MILL, NY | SEPTEMBER 5, 2024 — The Parrish Art Museum announced that it has been awarded a Bank of America Art Conservation Project grant to support the conservation of an iconic painting by American artist William Merritt Chase. This grant, one of 24 projects selected this year by Bank of America, is part of a broader effort to help preserve culturally significant works of art around the world.
William Merritt Chase (1849–1916) was a celebrated figure in the international art community of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, renowned for his keen observations of contemporary life and his innovative painting techniques. The Parrish Art Museum is home to an extensive collection of Chase’s works, reflecting the artist’s multifaceted talent, from portraits and still lifes to landscapes and interiors. Chase’s influence on the art world of his time was profound, earning him recognition as “a citizen of the world” by American art critic, Frank Jewett Mather.
One of the highlights of the Parrish’s collection is Chase’s remarkable painting, A Comfortable Corner (also known as The Blue Kimono, ca. 1888). This striking portrayal of a seated woman in a blue kimono with a yellow sash and a white fan in her hand exemplifies Chase’s fascination with Japanese culture. Despite its significance, the painting requires conservation due to issues such as heavy overpainting and discolored varnish layers.
The grant from Bank of America will enable the Parrish Art Museum to undertake comprehensive conservation work on A Comfortable Corner. This process will involve removing old retouching and degraded varnish, as well as reinforcing the canvas edges. By employing advanced conservation techniques, the Museum aims to ensure the long-term preservation of this important artwork for future generations to enjoy.
“Preserving works of art and pieces of our collective history is essential to fostering creativity and enriching our local Long Island communities,” said Marc Perez, president, Bank of America Long Island. “The Parrish Art Museum is committed to safeguarding the legacy of William Merritt Chase and strengthening the island’s thriving arts community. We look forward to ensuring, in partnership with the Parrish Art Museum, that A Comfortable Corner continues to engage and inspire future generations of museumgoers.”
In 2026, the Museum will present the conservation work completed in one of its collection-based exhibitions celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. This presentation will include photo documentation before, during, and after the painting has been conserved and video footage of the process as well. The painting, along with various forms of documentation will be on full display for Museum visitors to get an in-depth look at the methods used to conserve A Comfortable Corner.
“We are deeply grateful to Bank of America for their generous support of our conservation efforts,” said Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, Executive Director of the Parrish Art Museum. “This grant will allow us to preserve William Merritt Chase’s A Comfortable Corner, which is a legacy painting for the Museum and we look forward to celebrating its conservation in the future especially as we celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial.”
Suzanne Siano has been selected to conserve the Chase piece, A Comfortable Corner; she is the owner and chief conservator of Modern Art Conservation, a private practice in New York City. She and her team of highly trained conservators and support staff focus on the examination, documentation, treatment, and long-term preservation of paintings from the late 19th century to the present.
“My team at Modern Art Conservation and I are honored to be part of the conservation and preservation of this masterpiece by William Merritt Chase. Damages and historic restoration campaigns will present conservation challenges. By employing traditional and cutting-edge techniques to remove mismatched and discolored non-original materials, we hope to regain the vibrancy and nuances of Chase’s palette and bring the work to a state of preservation that will allow viewers to enjoy this important painting as the artist intended,” said Suzanne Siano, who will lead the conservation treatment for Modern Art Conservation.
The Bank of America Art Conservation Project has been instrumental in preserving culturally significant works of art. Since its inception in 2010, the program has supported more than 260 projects across 40 countries to conserve paintings, sculptures, and archeological and architectural works. This year, Bank of America Art Conservation Project, in 11 different countries, represents a diverse range of artistic styles, media and cultural traditions.
For more information about the 2024 Bank of America Art Conservation Project and a full list of grant recipients, please visit https://about.bankofamerica.com/en/making-an-impact/art-conservation-project.
About the Parrish Art Museum
The Parrish Art Museum is a place to discover and connect with artists and art with a focus on the rich creative legacy of the East End and its global impact on the art world. Inspired by the natural setting and historical artistic community of Long Island’s East End, the Parrish Art Museum celebrates its legacy through a distinctive contemporary lens and socially conscious global context. The Parrish illuminates the creative process and how art, architecture, and design transform our experiences and our communities, and how we relate to the world. Access to relevant cultural engagement, artistic inspiration, a natural environment, and architectural ingenuity characterizes the Museum experience as a unique destination for the region, the nation, and the world.
About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,800 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 58 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).
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Contact:
Melanie Tolan | tolanm@parrishart.org
Top Image: William Merritt Chase, American, 1849–1916. A Comfortable Corner (At Her Ease; The Blue Kimona [sic]; The Blue Kimono), ca. 1888, oil on canvas, 57 x 44 ½ inches. Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, N.Y., Littlejohn Collection. 1961.5.21.
To download the hi-res image from Dropbox, please click here.
