While many art collectors spend time and money researching a new painting they want to acquire, few use the same effort in protecting & preserving an artwork's condition once purchased. To the contrary, most art collectors fail to address art conservation until an artwork is in poor condition needing extensive restoration. Proper care for art can keep the object as beautiful as the day it was purchased. The following is a brief introduction on how to care for your precious artwork, no matter what medium in which it was created.
Many Emergency Restoration Service companies do not possess the knowledge and expertise to restore fine works of art. If your ERS company does not have personnel who are highly trained and experienced in repairing and restoring art and collectibles, you should insist that they retain a professional art restoration / conservation company to provide such services.
Perspectives on Restoration & Conservation of Fine Art Paintings - If and When to Restore. Simon Parkes and Sotheby’s Mark Buck discuss current practices in Fine Art conservation and cleaning the Collection of Mrs. Margaret Thompson Biddle. Conservation materials have certainly evolved. Detergents, chemicals and other solvents have changed and improved dramatically over the years. I think it's fair to say that damage caused by restorers has been greatly reduced by the restoration community having access to better materials and information. But it's certainly fair to say that over the centuries, by far the most damage to paintings has been made by people trying to clean, line or retouch paintings, but lacking the knowledge to do so properly. Materials alone don’t ensure safe and good restoration. Thoughtful work, experience and many hours looking at works in public collections, particularly in Europe, are invaluable.
