When asked to describe conservation work, most people think of old discolored paintings and fine art prints with stains and tears - items that need to be treated for decades or even centuries of damage. But time is not a prerequisite for conservation treatment. The reality is that at The Conservation Center, contemporary items arrive at our doors everyday in need of treatment. Recently we had the pleasure of treating two contemporary, functional items by Surrealist artist Pedro Friedeberg.
One of the misconceptions concerning work performed at an art treatment facility such as The Conservation Center is that an object or a piece of art must have significant value on the market to qualify for professional care. This is simply not the case. While many of our clients have high-end pieces that belong to large-scale collections and museums, our conservators also specialize in treating family antiques and heirlooms that have sentimental value.
Family heirlooms connect generations in a deep, personal way. From the handed down bible and grandmother’s knitted quilt, to a late 1800s baptismal gown and photos of a relative going off to war—anyone who has found or kept historic pieces in the family knows how moving they can be. These treasured items, passed down through the decades, provide insight into the lives of our ancestors and a richer understanding of our family's history.
The weather's heating up, but there are no signs of slowing down at The Conservation Center. From intricate conservation projects to private tours, our staff is hard at work in West Town. To celebrate the new season, we are bringing back our popular "A Day in the Life" photo series. With our camera in hand, we wandered around the lab and captured some amazing images to share with you.
This year’s cool Chicago summer months flew by fast, but The Conservation Center has been brimming with activities. Our warehouse currently has a record-breaking 7,000 pieces currently in storage, waiting to be conserved--keeping our expert conservators challenged by exciting new projects that cross many disciplines. Our "A Day in the Life" photo essay in January allowed readers a behind-the-scenes peek into The Conservation Center team at work. We’ve once again compiled a series of candid images, capturing a slice of daily life in our work space.
On any given day, taking a walk through The Conservation Center’s 25,000 square foot facilities, with a 10,000 square foot storage space, is always quite an experience—because you’ll never know what kind of artworks and cultural objects you might encounter. Since our dedicated staff members are all art enthusiasts here at The Center, we love geeking out at the amazing items we work on every day. This spring, we have had the pleasure of either conserving or preserving some unexpected pieces. We’ve compiled a series of visual highlights documenting what makes The Conservation Center such a delightful place to work.
This painting was brought to our studio after having sustained fire damage. The work is an early, well executed copy, circa mid 19th century, after Titian’s “A Portrait of Aretino”. The original is housed in Palazzo Pitti, Florence. Pietro Aretino was a well known playwright, poet and satiric, who had significant influence on contemporary art and politics in Europe in the 1500s. Because of this influence, he became a close friend to Titian.
Gold, silver, mirrors, marble, and dynamic geometric forms accent and set off unique and in some cases unconventional design elements through one of David Adler’s 1930’s homes. Designed by David Adler and built in 1931-32, in the Georgian Revival Style, this home, under treatment by The Chicago Conservation Center, has undergone various modifications through the years. Recently acquired by the current owners, the home is in the process of a large scale and long-term renovation and restoration project.
Vastly under appreciated for over half a century, the Arts and Crafts period is gleaning second looks from historians, collectors, and art enthusiasts- those who had previously discarded much of the original frames from that period in favor of the more popular, and often reproduction, French and English inspired frames. I think it is likely that many of the Artisans from the Arts and Crafts period would have been mortified to find their paintings in the very style of frame to which their frame had been created as a form of revolt! Today, this resurgence of interest in the Arts and Crafts ‘revolt’ has sparked a flame of curiosity and an endeavor to reunite paintings with original frames, or reproduction frames made to closely resemble the originals. Since so many of the original Arts and Crafts frames were routinely over-painted, stripped and refinished- or simply discarded- few original period frames of quality are extant. Therefore, to find an example of an original frame in a condition of any note is a rare find.
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