conservation of venard paintings
As a paintings conservator, I have worked on many of Claude Venard’s paintings over the past 20 years. Each time it was a collaboration with John Hong, owner of Anne French Fine Arts, who is the expert in the field for this artist.
In most cases, the main condition problems stem from the artist’s technique. Venard applied the paint layers with high impasto, impetuously, thickly, often with a palette knife. He did not always wait for one layer to be completely dry, before applying the next one on top.
This has led over the years to layers separation, open craquelure and lifting paint areas. These areas of high craquelure need to be consolidated with adhesive and safely flattened into plane before his paintings can be cleaned.
But every time I was able to clean Venard’s paintings after this treatment, the colors and the painting in its entirety were restored to their original vibrant appearance. -Maria Iosifescu
Maria Iosifescu
Maria Iosifescu is a graduate of the prestigious Conservation Center, NYU, as well as the Istituto Centrale del Restauro in Rome, Italy. As part of her training she has interned in paintings conservation at the Metropolitan Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum and the Jewish Museum in New York.
She has been in charge of her own studio in New York for the past 20 years.
The studio offers examination, restoration and conservation of a wide range of Old
Masters, 19th Century, Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary paintings.
Clients include Christie’s, Sotheby’s, galleries and private collections.
Other services include consulting on condition reports and conservation proposals for collections and pre-sale estimates for Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
MARIA IOSIFESCU CONSERVATION STUDIO,INC
34-01 38th Avenue, 4th floor, studio 4
LIC, NY 1002
1(646) 431- 3293
maria.iosifescu@gmail.com