Conservator

Olga Nikolic-Litwin

Olga conserves my paintings. Some just need cleaning, but after 100 years, others need patching of holes in their canvas, flecks of missing paint replaced, new “strip lining” applied to the edges of the canvas, new stretchers, etc.

Olga featured her repairs to my worst-condition (to date) Buongiorno painting at her website. See it here at patinapal.com.

Sometimes Olga even repairs my paintings’ period frames. She was willing to take on this one, since it has an imprecise, hand-made “aesthetic” that would help camouflage repairs, and since she has extensive experience repairing paint on wood, from one of her specialties—conserving Eastern Orthodox religious icons. Scroll down here to see the repaired frame.

With her substantial big museum and old master experience, I feel lucky that Olga will take on my minor 19th-century “masterpieces,” but she’s respectful of all art and has taught me to be, too. Sometimes she’s more enthusiastic about my paintings than I am! As she spends more time looking at the paintings than I do, she “gets into the artist’s head” and often has insights about “what he was trying to do” that send me off on fruitful investigations.

Olga has also gotten involved in the personal angle of my genealogy work related to Buongiorno’s career and has contributed useful insights based on her European upbringing and training.

As with many other activities in life, I’ve learned that it’s all about the relationship. She works with me, I work with her, and, after a while, we are finishing each other’s sentences.

Don’t hesitate to hire Olga if you have a nifty project that fits one of her multiple areas of expertise (examples here.)