David Johnson, former chairman of the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and his wife, Suzanne, began collecting art 25 years ago, amassing a range of pieces from Lucio Fontana to Jenny Holzer, to Bernd and Hilla Becher.
They display their collection in their homes, and at the office of Act 4 Entertainment, the theater and film production company founded by Johnson, a former MGM executive.
Recently, artworks in the office and in one of the couple’s homes were damaged — the former by a fire, the latter by a trapped owl. To repair them, Johnson turned to an art conservator, Kamila Korbela, the owner of LA Art Labs.
Yes, an art conservator, the kind of specialist who is often more associated with helping museums and historical societies preserve their collections. In fact, a large number of conservators work in private practice and can assist individual collectors, like the Johnsons, in a variety of ways.
Working with a conservator, Johnson said in a phone interview, “is necessary when there is damage, but it is important generally to assure that the collection is well maintained.”
Korbela also periodically cleans the Johnsons’ outdoor stainless steel John McCracken sculpture, and has treated a Michel François sculpture with a metal support whose surface is covered with tiny polystyrene balls, an extremely complex, weeklong procedure.
A Passion for Preservation
Conservation, according to the American Institute for Conservation (A.I.C.), a trade group, is a “profession devoted to the preservation of cultural property for the future.” Conservators examine artworks and document their condition; treat pieces to prolong their existence; and do preventive care to mitigate deterioration and damage.
Other conservation trade groups include the Institute of Conservation and the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, both in London, and the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property, in Ottawa.
Because they might belong to multiple professional groups, there are no concrete statistics for the total number of conservators worldwide. The International Council of Museums’ conservation committee said it had about 5,000 members.
Surprisingly, while most of the A.I.C.’s 3,242 members work at institutions, about one-third are in private practice, advising art buyers and sellers, as well as galleries and auction houses.
In a phone interview, Suzanne Davis, president of A.I.C., said that conservators could help collectors judge whether a piece of art they were considering purchasing was authentic, and also help them take care of their art over the years.
Collectors should recognize that they are making an investment for the longer term, said Elizabeth Nunan, a Philadelphia conservator who cut her teeth at the American Museum of Natural History. “It’s not one and done,” she said in a phone interview, adding that working with a conservator is “more like your yearly visit to a doctor.”
Nunan said a conservator can walk through a collection with its owner and help to explain possible vulnerabilities. For instance, artwork in a home’s entryway can be exposed to umbrellas, raincoats and zippers, while art displayed in bathrooms can experience damaging levels of humidity.
Conservators, Nunan added, can provide condition reports to establish a work’s baseline condition for collectors who might want to loan or sell their holdings.
Contemporary artwork can be especially challenging to maintain. In particular, Davis cited 3D-printed artworks, which can contain proprietary compounds with unknown additives, as well as works by artists such as Alvin D. Loving Jr. and Arman, who sometimes employed plastics. In both cases, she said “the materials can degrade in ways you can’t predict.”
Finding a Pro
Anyone considering buying or selling a work of art can identify a conservator to help in these processes through the American Institute for Conservation’s “find a professional” tool on its website. The site also has guidance on questions to ask a prospective conservator, and standard practices people should expect when working with one.
Nunan, an A.I.C. member, noted that members of the organization must meet criteria yearly to be listed, and must keep up-to-date with changes to the professional code of ethics and guidelines for behavior.
However, Alexis Miller, head of paintings conservation at the Balboa Art Conservation Center in San Diego, said in a phone interview that there were no certification programs to become a conservator. “Anyone can hang a shingle out,” she said. “So you need to be aware and ask a lot of questions.”
Samantha Springer, owner of Art Solutions Lab in Portland, Ore., and a professional member and fellow of A.I.C., an honorary title conveying experience and service, said in a phone interview that collectors should have the “same goals for the outcome of the conservator’s work as the conservator.”
“To feel comfortable, you should ask the conservator questions so you understand what the conservator plans to do and you get the outcome you want,” Springer said. She also suggested requesting references.
The conservator can provide “a holistic view of the work’s needs for long-term preservation, as opposed to just cleaning it up,” she said.
Art collectors should be aware that top international fairs like TEFAF’s have vetting processes. Before its fairs open to the public, TEFAF explains on its website, “vetting committees conduct a meticulous examination of every piece on display in respect of its authenticity, condition and attribution to ensure that the object is worthy of display.”
At the auction house Phillips, every work sold includes a detailed condition report, said Olivia Thornton, the house’s head of modern and contemporary art, Europe.
“This report covers the item’s original state, any past restoration efforts and an expert appraisal of any potential conservation needs,” she said in an email, adding that “we conduct our own thorough examination of each object we are offering for sale to ensure we fully understand the condition of each work.”
Like Phillips, Christie’s and Sotheby’s also do not employ conservators in-house, but bring in third-party conservators to provide condition reports.
‘Less is More’
Christopher Bishop, a Manhattan gallerist who also owns Master Drawings New York, an art fair whose focus is works on paper, cannot say enough about the value of a conservator. He often employs a paper conservator, who, he said, can help identify what type of paper has been used in works, to determine their age or place of origin. The conservator also helps him understand how and why works were backed or mounted, before considering treatment.
“What I would look for in a conservator is someone who understands that less is more, that the best results come from more conservative and considered treatments,” Bishop said in a phone interview.
“The exemplary conservator is one with a sense of fiduciary responsibility for the long-term health of the artwork,” he added.
And for art sellers trying to get the highest possible price for their work, providing evidence from an expert about its condition is comparable to doing due diligence before selling a house, suggested Korbela, the conservator who helps the Johnsons with their collection. This provides “transparency that right away is a good sign,” she said.
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