BryanLGH, Sheldon team up to solve mystery with Kuhn painting

Walt Kuhn's "Apples in Wooden Boat," oil on canvas, 1938; from the permanent collection
Walt Kuhn's "Apples in Wooden Boat," oil on canvas, 1938; from the permanent collection

BryanLGH Medical Center West will X-ray the painting "Apples in Wooden Boat" from the Sheldon Museum of Art collection on Sept. 26.

Recently the painting by early American modernist Walt Kuhn underwent routine conservation. While the painting was under examination, Kenneth Bé, head of the paintings laboratory at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha, discovered a second image under the surface of "Apples in Wooden Boat."

This revelation has resulted in a unique collaboration of the Sheldon Museum of Art, BryanLGH Medical Center West, and the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center. BryanLGH Medical Center’s collaboration to X-ray Kuhn’s painting enables the museum to archive and exhibit a more complete history of the work. The results of the medical center’s examination will be exhibited with the artwork when it returns to the museum.