Cécile Charpentier
16 years of experience
in the conservation and restoration of paintings

Cecile Charpentier
Under the dome of the Saint-Augustin Church in Paris In 2010, Cecile Charpentier received degree in the Conservation and Restoration of Art Objects. In 1994, she had earned a diploma (Maitrise de sciences et techniques) from the University of Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne. She had previously graduated from the Ecole du Louvre in 1987 with degrees in both Art History and Museology. She is fully accredited to work on the collections of the Museums of France.

Specialized in the conservation and preservation of the paint layer, Cecile Charpentier executes commissions for institutions both public and private as well as for collectors, art dealers and art experts. She is called upon to evaluate the condition of works of art before restoration and, as a consultant, makes diagnoses prior to auctions or purchases. She also conducts research and writes up reports on historical paintings and artists in both French and English.

For extensive sites requiring different competences, such as the restoration of the support of the paintings, Cecile Charpentier gathers together a team of accredited professionals.

She is often called upon to work in other countries (Italy, Spain, China and the United States).

En tant que conservatrice-restauratrice des biens culturels, Cécile Charpentier a toujours le souci d'observer, avec la plus grande rigueur, les exigences propres à son métier et ne procède qu'aux interventions indispensables à la survie de l'œuvre, dans le respect absolu de celle-ci.
Sa formation en histoire de l'art a conduit la restauratrice à s'intéresser tant à l'histoire de la restauration qu'à celle de la peinture. Pour Cécile Charpentier, comprendre les techniques utilisées par les artistes, c'est se donner les moyens de mieux motiver les décisions à prendre avant et pendant les interventions.

Scientific & Artistic Know-How

Cecile Charpentier’s education in art history has led her beyond that of painting restoration to research the techniques used by artists, and her training has enabled her to grasp the language used by artists. She has always observed the rigorous requirements of her profession, and in deference to the works of art, has never engaged in interventions that go beyond that of the preservation of the art object. This has required her make all the necessary decisions before and during her interventions. She has always sought to distinguish the original work from subsequent restoration, including earlier additions of glaze, varnish and overpainting, whether they concern the artist’s own actions or interventions by various restorers over the centuries.

Her scientific background has allowed her to choose the most adequate materials, the most appropriate solvents and the technical methods to ensure the protection of the painting. Before setting out, she defines the different substances that compose the surface layer and carefully studies all the previous interventions. She refrains from any operation whose reversibility and stability are not perfectly assured.

Although usually working on site for the restoration of large-size paintings and murals, she has created her own studio in Paris that provides enough height and space to accommodate fairly sizeable formats. After a thorough study of a painting, she presents a detailed estimate listing the necessary procedures for the optimum conservation, and, if necessary, has tests carried out in laboratories.
For all her work, she takes photographs during each different stage and writes up a restoration report describing in detail all the techniques, methods and products used.
Fully responsive to the esthetic and ethical problems posed by antique painting, she is regularly commissioned to restore works of art from the 15th to the 20th century.