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What is Art Restoration Anyway? Who Should I Trust?
How do I clean or repair an old painting, print or frame? What does it take? Who should I choose to do it correctly?
It is truly amazing what a properly restored painting can do to a room!
There are many ways to get your old/damaged painting looking its best. You should however, carefully choose who does the work.
Questions to ask:
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- Q: Can they restore and conserve paintings on: canvas wood, paper and metal and of all ages; are they staffed with people with museum specialist expertise in the conservation of contemporary and modern art?
A: a good restorer should have years of conservation experience at museums and at commercial galleries in the U.S. and abroad. Past clients include artists, insurers, loss adjusters and individual private collectors.
- Q: Are they a flexible, responsive and approachable team, able to deal with very large project at short notice?
A. You should seek out a restoration firm that is equally happy to conserve and restore single paintings for individual private clients like you, that provide advice and free estimates without any sort of obligation.
Find out what's happening in Garden Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
taken to carry out treatments, usually at least a few weeks and sometimes several weeks.
Prices may range from as little as $200 to many thousands.Estimates are always given freely and without obligation, but please keep in mind that an accurate or binding estimate cannot be provided from photographs alone as paintings vary considerably. In-person visual assessment - will be necessary to establish appropriate conservation techniques.
- A competent service will have conserved and restored a vast range of artworks, from early medieval panels to twenty-first century mixed media works. Conservation treatments vary enormously from simple removal of surface dirt, to tear mending, re-lining very worn canvases, cleaning discolored old varnishes and retouching and full restoration of missing areas.
All conservation treatments must be carried out to the highest ethical and practical standards using materials that are conservation-grade, will not deteriorate or discolor over time and remain fully reversible.
- Sadly, much of the damage to paintings is due to poor packing and handling, and is often preventable. Therefore a firm with thorough knowledge of handling, packing, hanging, lighting and aftercare is recommended.
