Bridging Materiality and Intent: Preserving the Legacy of Zilia Sánchez’s Sin título [Untitled] (1962/1971/1990) at the Toledo Museum of Art

This paper examines the conservation of Zilia Sánchez’s Sin título [Untitled] (1962/1971/1990) at the Toledo Museum of Art as a case study in preserving works shaped by evolving artistic intent. Created and reworked over three decades, the hybrid painting-sculpture reflects Sánchez’s view of artworks as living bodies that require care and may change over time. Her training as a conservator informed choices that balanced conceptual aims with material stability. With her death in 2024, the absence of direct consultation heightens the need for approaches that respect layered authorship and shifting intent. An expanded model of dialogic conservation is proposed, in which the artwork, its histories, the institution, and audiences are active participants in decision-making. This framework emphasizes transparency, documentation, and ethical stewardship while accepting that permanence and change are both central to the authenticity of such works.