The Department of Painting and Sculpture contacted sculpture conservation in the summer of 2014 to see if Bruce Conner's piece CHILD could be repaired. Caryl Chessman, a death-row inmate who had been incarcerated for the kidnapping and sexual abuse of a woman in Los Angeles, was sentenced to death in 1959, prompting the formation of CHILD. Conner created a terrifying sculpture of a disfigured corpse-like infant in response to this high-profile capital sentence case and his visceral aversion to it. The figure is made of casting wax and is fastened to a wooden highchair with a belt and twine, with a gaping or screaming lips and a torso cloaked in torn and stretched nylon stockings.

The wax figure had become increasingly slumped over the years due to gradual delamination along the original tacked joins, making it un-exhibitable in its current state in 2014. During an earlier restoration attempt in 2000, the nylons had pulled away from the sculpture and dangled precariously from the chair in little bundles. The purpose of the treatment of CHILD was to return the figure and nylon stockings to their 1960 position as closely as possible, and to stabilise the sculpture once in place so that it might withstand exhibition and travel in the future. Two primary treatment requirements became obvious in order to complete this task: first, make the soft wax sculpture sturdy enough to stand on its own.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a conservator to work on an object that has been ruled unfit for display and to bring it back to life! Prior to treatment, as with each work that comes through the lab, preliminary research was required to learn as much as possible about the materials and state of the work. The sculpture was photographed, x-radiographed, and ultraviolet photos were taken, and the wax was studied by our science conservation department. Conner created the sculpture in segments from sheets of casting wax that were subsequently glued together by hand, according to this analysis and information and letters in the conservation file. Conner then took a step forward.

For years, the literature has been awash with theories and speculation about EAM's handling of Bruce Conner's CHILD and its "state of extreme degradation." Conner's dissatisfaction with the Museum was made known in interviews. Conner worked with EAM on condition concerns for 26 years, and over that period he expressed a variety of ideas, some of which were at odds with one other. The artwork has only been exhibited a few times due to its intrinsic fragility and significant structural concerns, and it has never been exhibited at the Museum since its acquisition.

The wax figures had to be removed from the original chair for a thorough examination before the sculpture could be rebuilt. We decided on a removal order based on accessibility and took the portions of CHILD out of the original chair one at a time. These parts were photographed, lifted bits of wax were consolidated, and areas of extreme slumping were reshaped using heat.