Co-contracting Restoration
On-site team

The status of Conservator

In France, a conservator-restorer is an independent professional paid for each job with a fee. In order to restore public art, it is necessary to have a degree as a « conservator ». However, it is possible for non-professionals or non-university graduates, to get accreditation through the VAE (validation acquired through experience).

Conservators are grouped into teams and respond to tenders launched by institutions such as COARC (Conservation of Works of Religious and Civil Art for the City of Paris part of the Department of Cultural Affairs) or by the National Museums

Awarding of a public commission through a bidding process

When an art object in the public domain requires restoration, and the job involves an expenditure exceeding a certain threshold, a public tender is launched. This procedure allows the institution/sponsor of the work to choose the most likely person to execute the restoration.

In order to make a bid for a public commission, the contractor must follow a strict selection process that ensures the equal treatment of each candidate. The sponsor is obligated to include an evaluation of the restoration requirements in the tender, most often by adding a condition report and preliminary study. The restorer's competence, accreditation and status vis-à-vis the tax authorities and social organizations, the availability of technical means necessary for the job, are closely examined. The sponsor then selects the best bid to meet the requirements. The lowest bidder is not necessarily, in financial terms, the only measure for selection.

Cecile Charpentier, in collaboration with other restorer, regularly responds to public tenders. This teamwork is an important part of her business.


Examples of sites carried out with a team of restorers

Click here to see example:

Château Borély, City of Marseille, France, 2012-2013

Molière Theatre, City of Sète, France, 2012-2013

Theatre Curtain, Châtelet (City of Paris), 2009

Church of Saint-Louis-d'Antin (COARC), Paris, 2003

Marouflage of a painting on a ceiling, Uzzano, Italy,
(private commission)

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