I inherited an oil portrait which is starting to show some damage, cracking especially in the very dark areas of the hair where the paint is thick. There are some tiny missing chips of paint as well. What can I do to prevent further damage and protect this paint as much as possible? Thank you, Mona
Thank you Kristin and Brian. I wonder whether there is a similar institute in Canada?
Hi Mona, Thank you first and foremost for seeking out proper ways to ensure the protection of your painting ☺ It sounds as if you should definitely seek consultation from a paintings conservator, preferably one that is a Professional Associate Member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and/or holds a Masters Degree in Conservation from a recognized program (e.g. not an M.F.A. for example). Be sure to ask about these things when you locate a conservator near you by entering your zip code in AIC’s “Find a Conservator” search engine which you can find here: http://www.conservation-us.org/membership/find-a-conservator
Everything that Kristin stated is of the foremost importance. I also want to point you to our Storage, Exhibition, and Handling section which has a wealth of info about the some of the ways to prevent or mitigate future or continued damage to paintings and other artworks. This can be accessed here https://www.artcons.udel.edu/mitra/resources
Yes in fact there is. You can contact Queen’s University if you are in or nearby Kingston or you can contact this association which has a listed of certified conservators on hand:
http://capc-acrp.ca/what_is_capc.asp
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