Collection by Subtraction: Rose Salane’s “Clock Weight”

Rose Salane’s lithograph Clock Weight documents a piece of a clock that remained at the Yale University Art Gallery even after the clock itself had been deaccessioned (or removed from the collection) in 1951. Elizabeth Mangone, Provenance Research Assistant, leads a discussion of Salane’s research-based artistic practice, her collaboration with museum staff to conceptualize the work, and her engagement with the Gallery’s history of deaccessioned objects. In conversation with the work, this Gallery Talk highlights how museum collections are shaped not only by what has been added to them but also by what is taken away, and why. Offered in conjunction with the exhibition Print Catalyst @ 30. Gallery Talks is a weekly series led by Gallery staff and guest speakers on Wednesdays at midday. Each session focuses on one to three works from the collection, inviting participants to look closely, share observations, and engage in conversation in the galleries. Meet by the central column in the Gallery lobby. Space is limited.