A Fascinating Demonstration of the Delicate Craft of Restoring Damaged Fine Art to Its Former Beauty

In March 2018, Jack Brandtman of Chicago Aussie shadowed second generation fine art conservator Julian Baumgartner of Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration in Chicago as he delicately restored a self portrait of Emma Gaggiotti Richards, an Italian painter whose work was popular with Queen Victoria. Baumgartner’s process, as shown, requires a delicate hand, an exacting eye and a great deal of patience.

ReMade in Chicago, Baumgartner Restoration is a second-generation art conservation studio in Chicago. Follow Julian as he completely restores a damaged painting.

From what Baumgartner shares on social media, the scope of the work appears to vary greatly. It can be a full repair of a badly damaged piece, a fix on a previous restoration, a re-inclusion of a missing character, a hand-painted replacement of oxidation cracks on the canvas or just a simple wipe down of a very dirty piece.

via The Kid Should See This

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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