Activities
Conservation-restoration of sculpted works
I work in accordance with the professional rules of the ECCO, European Confederation of Conservators Organization, and therefore with the following requirements:
- Conservation of the original material
- Réversibility of the interventions according to the operations…
- Stability of the restoration materials according to current knowledge
- Documentation of the operations by a detailed report provided to the person in charge
Study and treatment of polychromed woodworks
Painted and gilded wooden works are fragile objects that require regular monitoring and maintenance. I intervene in the following operations:
- Technological examination (including stratigraphy), condition report and diagnosis
- Treatment of insect infestations and mould contamination: chemical treatment, static anoxia, freezing, climatic monitoring
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Curative conservation: dusting, consolidation, glueing, reassembling, re-fixing of paintings and gilding, stabilization of metal elements,…
- Restoration: removal of repaints, cleaning, reintegration of missing parts, filling of gaps, retouching…
- Advice in preventive conservation, transport, pedestal, securing,…
Some references : Qatar Museum Authority, Drac Limousin, Drac Aquitaine, Drac Poitou-Charente, Drac Auvergne, Frac Limousin, …
Study and treatment of works in stone and stone materials
I intervene in the following operations:
- Technological examination, condition report and diagnosis,
- Curative conservation: dusting, consolidations, re-fixing of paintings and gilding, stabilization of metallic elements, gluing, reassembly…
- Restoration: removal of repaints, cleaning, reintegration of missing parts, filling in of gaps, retouching…
- Advice on preventive conservation, transport, pedestal, security
Some references: Louvre Museum (Paris), Museum of Decorative Arts (Paris), Orsay Museum (Paris), Despiau-Wlerick Museum (Mont-de-Marsan)…
Study and treatment of composite objects
Works made of several materials are sensitive to many agents of degradation, which makes them fragile. Their diagnosis and treatment often require the intervention of several specialists, metal, textile and paper restorers…. as well as a global analysis and an understanding of the reactions between the different materials. I compose teams adapted to the needs of the work and I intervene in the following operations:
- Technological examination, condition report and diagnosis,
- Curative conservation: dusting, consolidation, stabilization, glueing, reassembly,…
- Restoration: cleaning, reshaping, retouching,…
- Advice in preventive conservation, transport, pedestal,…
Some references: MuCEM, New National Museum of Monaco, National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, Smithsonian Institute, Museum of Ethnography of the University Bordeaux 2…
Condition Reports
I document the condition of works in the following circumstances:
- exhibitions and transportation
- acquisitions,
- restorations,
- after a disaster,
- for sanitary assessments, collection building sites, and recollections,
The reports include a photographic file, surveys of alterations, a technological study. For a sanitary assessment or a collection project, the emphasis is placed on prioritizing interventions and making an overall diagnosis.
The assessment of the works is based on a thorough knowledge and understanding of the techniques of creation, the agents and factors of alteration, the mechanisms of deterioration and the contexts of conservation.
In order to facilitate the edition of the reports, including statements and updated photos of the work, I publish the Horus condition report application, accessible to all.
Some references: Duane Hanson exhibition at the New National Museum of Monaco – Sanitary assessment of the sculpture and model collections of the Alexandre Franconie Museum (Cayenne) – work on the collections of the reserves of the sculpture department of the Louvre Museum, …
Preventive conservation
I place preventive conservation at the centre of my activity and answer the following requests:
- storage facilities,
- building sites of the collections,
- advice on climate, light exposure, pedestal and packaging of collections,
- risk analysis,
- securing of works,
- conservation plan,
- training
The preliminary studies allow us to prepare precise specifications, to budget interventions and to have demanding documentation to prepare:
- the construction of collections,
- the fitting out of storerooms,
- restorations,
- global conservation strategies.
Some references: Master 2 in preventive conservation Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. INP 2007 thesis “Study and restoration of a composite work, the “Closed Garden” of the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Arras, 16th century; preventive conservation of a composite work” Smithsonian Institute (Haiti Cultural Recovery Center): diagnosis of a private collection of voodoo art of 3000 pieces and advice in preventive conservation – DRAC Aquitaine: securing of sculptures in Historic Monuments – DRAC Limousin: a climatic study of display cases in Historic Monuments…
