Ars Longa, Vita Brevis Est

Pity the lot of art museum risk managers.  Not only must they worry about clumsy curators elsewhere dropping works on loan, not only must they keep a watchful eye against errant elbows, but they also need to Protect the Visiting Public from Dangerous Works of Art.

The Getty Center is the recipient of a bequest of 20th Century sculpture from the collection of late producer Ray Stark and his wife Fran.  Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight has more than a few reservations about the Getty's acceptance and display of the bequest, in the course of reporting which he notes this perilous situation:

Maillol's hovering 1938 personification of 'Air,' posthumously fabricated in 1962, is ironically made from heavier-than-air lead.  A nearby sign warns, 'Lead is a metal known by the State of California to cause reproductive harm.'

Art lovers beware: the danger is not limited to the Getty.  There are numerous copies of "L'Air" out there in the world at sites including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas; the Norton Simon Museum right here in Pasadena, California; and the Jardin du Carrousel, Paris.  The sculpture appeared on a French postage stamp -- presumably not to be affixed with a lead-based adhesive -- in 1974; we reproduce it here so that Decs&Excs readers can recognize the work and avoid unnecessary exposure: