The art of restoration

Last year a Spanish 17th-century Baroque painting was disfigured after the art restoration was handed to a furniture restorer, resulting in a blurry, ill-proportioned recreation of the Virgin Mary’s face. Art critics described the bungled restoration as “going to a plumber for dental work.”

When it comes to determining how much a work of art is reasonably worth, condition matters big time. Of course, it’s best to look after an artwork carefully in the first place so that it doesn’t deteriorate or suffer damage ­– don’t hang an oil painting above a hot fireplace or on a wall with signs of damp, don’t hang a watercolour in a place that receives direct sunlight, and don’t place a bronze sculpture outside near a pool where chlorine could damage the patina. But in the unfortunate event that an item is damaged or deteriorates over time, then get advice and find the best person for the job. A poor art restoration can be the death of an artwork, explains Hazel Cuthbertson, research specialist at auction house Strauss & Co. Serious collectors are simply not interested in a work that has been badly restored.

Specific skills

Art conservation and restoration call for a specific knowledge set, she says, and it is critical to choose the right expert for your particular treasure. “It is best to seek out the most highly recommended conservator for valuable furniture, artworks, or even antique jewellery,” says Cuthbertson, “it’s not something that people can just pick up easily. This is the one area where googling ‘art restoration’ is not a good idea. Art conservators are highly skilled professionals, most often with formidable international degrees at master’s level. They have extensive training and experience, and they tend to specialize – the conservators who work with Strauss & Co specialize either in paintings on canvas, for example, OR in works on paper, but not both.”

Each restoration is unique, and it takes an expert to assess exactly what is needed, and not to do too much. A lot of the value of a work resides in preserving the ‘hand’ of the original artist. “An insensitive, over-enthusiastic restorer who overpaints heavily, affects the authenticity of a work, and therefore the value,” explains Cuthbertson. “It is very easy to mess up an artwork. If you do not know what you’re doing, it can be destroyed completely.”

A sensitive professional can significantly extend the life of an artwork. Oil paintings often develop drying cracks, and the best treatment is often conservation rather than restoration – stabilising the cracks to prevent paint loss rather than filling them in is now considered international best practice.

Accidental damage to a canvas, before.

After restoration by a professional conservator.

Reversible work

Art conservation is a vocation that combines art and science – conservators have an extensive knowledge of art history and of a particular artist’s work, as well as of chemistry. Restoring sculpture frequently requires engineering skills and knowledge of materials in addition to having a good ‘eye’ for the aesthetic. It is careful and time-consuming work, and the best restorers make sure that they keep up with the latest trends in international conservation practice. In the past, art restorers sometimes had too heavy a hand, Cuthbertson says. “They often intervened too much, and the interventions were permanent. Unfortunately, that adversely affects the value of the painting by modern standards.” In fact, Cuthbertson says, “reputable restorers now aim as far as possible to do work that is entirely removable.” Unlike in the past when a broken ancient vase would be restored to look perfect, a new generation of top restorers believes that, first and foremost, no harm should be done, even if it means that some of blemishes still show, and secondly, that treatments should be reversible as far as possible.

The science of materials has advanced so much in recent decades, and future technologies might deliver even better restoration techniques. At the same time, well-executed conservation and restoration can significantly improve the value of an artwork and ensure that it becomes the eye-catcher of the next auction. “Often the artwork only needs a proper cleaning. Dust and soot settle on the surface of paintings, and varnish discolours over time, so a light clean and re-varnish can give a dull and dirty painting a whole new life.”

Sometimes the damage to the artwork is nothing more than minor wear that can easily be touched up. But sometimes a painting can take a tumble, or be damaged in transport, and that’s when the expertise of a professional can be truly amazing. “Tears in the canvas can be quite tricky to fix because the fibres of the canvas have to be painstakingly re-connected or invisibly patched,” she explains. The conservator’s report will detail everything that was done, so that a future owner will be aware of the full story.

Choose wisely

There is only a small pool of knowledgeable, expert art restorers in South Africa, and Cuthbertson says it is important to get referrals from an auction house or art dealer and find out what works the conservator has handled in the past. “South African restorers boast extraordinary skills. One of the conservators we work with at Strauss & Co used to live in Durban and she is an expert in treating paintings damaged by mould and damp, because of her experience at the coast, with skills a conservator who has only worked in the crisp dry conditions of the Highveld wouldn’t have.” Cuthbertson warns that having a flashy website provides no guarantee that a conservator will execute a job up to standard – it is track record that counts. Strauss & Co maintain a database of reputable restorers that they can recommend. “People must never try to restore an artwork on their own, whether it’s a valuable national treasure or a humble family heirloom,” she says. “Give us a call and we’ll point you in the right direction.”