Bernice Bing’s Blue Mountain No. 4: A History of Care and Loss

Drawing from archival resources, museum records, and community interviews, this paper presents a biography of Bernice Bing’s monumental 1966 painting, Blue Mountain No. 4, as a case study in the material threats that face the work of Asian American artists. In 2020, Stanford Libraries Special Collections acquired Bernice Bing’s archives, and to complement this acquisition, the Cantor Arts Center acquired Blue Mountain No. 4. The first painting by the artist to enter the museum’s collection, the work was in poor condition. It was severely damaged in a storage fire at SOMArts Cultural Center, an arts nonprofit where Bing served as the first executive director. Later, pro bono conservation treatment of the work began to fail, leaving it unexhibitable, to the extent that one conservator suggested that it could be deemed “an insurance write-off.” Nevertheless, the museum pursued its treatment, and a Bank of America Art Conservation Project Grant allowed the work to be repaired and cleaned. What can art history learn from the life of this painting? The circumstances surrounding its damage are specific but not unique when it comes to the work of historically underrecognized artists. This paper explores how historical and material value is defined, how works of art are preserved, and what museums can do to support their communities.