Conservation by the Numbers
July 2007
HARTFORD, CONN.—In the multi-billion-dollar-a-year art market, a tawny cloud that an artist painted white or a green lake that was originally blue in a work can mean more than aesthetic discomfort, it can also mean a significant financial loss for art sellers, dealers and collectors. Rising art investment is cited as part of the reason behind the increased use of hiring art conservators—once reserved for museums and auction houses—by private collectors.Henry DePhillips Jr., the Vernon K. Krieble Professor of Chemistry at Trinity College, explains the route collectors may take when hiring a conservator. “They generally contract with museum conservators or with private conservation laboratories to have their works studied then conserved, if it is desirable to do so.”
Rikke Foulke, a professional associate paintings conservator for the American Institute for Conservation and an affiliate of The Art Conservators in Pittsburgh, discusses the cost a private collector might face when hiring a conservator. “The fee for conservation services ranges, and often depends on their geographic location,” he says. “Generally the conservator has an hourly rate and the cost can depend on the construction of a work of art and the extent of the damage. Cost estimates are usually drafted after a thorough examination.”
Foulke adds that most conservators in private practice, like those affiliated with The Art Conservators, begin with three to four years of extensive training in a graduate program before working in museum settings and then branch off to provide services to private collectors. “As conservators in private practice, we provide conservation services to corporations, institutions and individual private collectors who take the stewardship of their collections seriously.”
Private collectors interested in finding a conservator can contact their local museums or the American Institute for Conservation aic.stanford.edu.