James Hampton’s Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly

The Hampton Throne, produced between 1950 and 1964, was the life’s work of self-taught artist James Hampton. The 80-piece installation appears to be made of aluminum foil, though in fact it forms only the skin covering wooden and cardboard structural elements, bought second-hand or found on the streets of Washington DC. The plain, colored, and textured foils derive from store-bought rolls of kitchen foil but also from liquor store displays, candy wrappers and cigarette packs. They were secured in place by means of crimping, pressing, gluing and nailing. The components were adorned with paint, glue, colored papers, and toned varnish coatings. Various forms of corrosion are present on the foil, and some of the paints and glues have caused severe deterioration.

Dust has been a constant in the environment of the Throne, and was problematic enough for the artist that many of the elements were covered over again during his lifetime to refresh dust-embedded parts of the heavenly showpiece. The installation was created in an unheated garage often opened to a dusty alleyway to provide light and air to the claustrophobic space. Extremes of temperature and humidity were endemic to the artist’s workspace and surely have contributed to the deterioration of the non-archival components and the thin aluminum films.

Maintenance and treatment of the Throne over the decades since its accession in 1970 has been impeded by difficult access due to the close packing of the elements when on display, the sheer scale of the installation and the nearly constant display of the iconic ensemble. Travelling exhibitions for large portions of the Throne and long-term exposure to light have damaged the colored elements of the Throne and hastened deterioration of adhesives and coatings.

The artist’s use of materials, deterioration, and maintenance strategies will be discussed in this look at the conservation of a unique, powerful, and vision-driven icon of American art.

[DoloresJRush]

A friend and I are having a discussion as to whether that's really a photo of James Hampton or not. I say not, but perhaps the garage owner or a reporter standing in for James Hampton. If Mr. Hampton didn't have any friends and the garage owner only opened it up after his death, when would James Hampton have taken a photo with his work?