I've been lucky enough to work with these fabulous people twice. Once on a textile piece and again…read morewith an Ambrotype, similar to a daguerreotype. As it happened, we did not end up conserving the textile piece because it was so badly damaged, but the experience was so positive I brought them an Ambrotype I'd received. The image quality had suffered a great deal in the 160-plus years it had been kicking around my family. Our goal was to stop any more damage occurring to image on the glass and, if possible, clean and/or brighten the picture. Well. The Conservation Center did a MAGNIFICENT job! It's stunning! A beautiful portrait of a woman circa 1860. The care, the craftsmanship... it's clear my little treasure was just as much a treasure to them as well. And with their help, the image of a that long-gone matriarch will preside over the family for at least a hundred more years. I cannot recommend The Conservation Center enough. And, I shall be bringing them another piece to look at.

I just had a portrait of my Great Grandparents restored at the Conservation Center in Chicago. We…read moreare so pleased with the results. This portrait was over 100 years old and had a lot of damage to the portrait and frame, especially water damage. The restoration is truly remarkable! Such care and consideration were given us especially when working with us on the pricing! I am so grateful to Ms. Maria Orachek! She was wonderful to work with us. This portrait now belongs to my disabled son, and it has made him so happy. I am happy to write this review for The Conservation Center and their entire staff. They deserve a full 5-star review! Winnia and Mark Brooks

I had an oil canvas painting that was punctured during a move. I searched around for months trying…read moreto find the right restoration company to assist. Came across Restoration Division and from the get-go, I received nothing but professionalism. They were quick to reply to messages, gave me a very fair quote, sent out their team, picked up the piece, and repaired and returned in a matter of a few weeks. Probably would have been done quicker, but there were some delays on my part. Overall, very grateful for their quality work and professionalism. Painting came back looking as if nothing had ever happened. Highly recommend.

The team was amazing in their care and restoration of my great-uncle's 71+ year old oil on canvas…read morepainting he created which was part of the Art Institute of Chicago's 'Artists of Chicago and Vicinity 55th Annual Exhibition' (1951). 48 years since his passing, the piece had spent most of that time stored carelessly and lost track of until rediscovered at a gallery in his hometown just a few years ago. It literally bore so much neglect, it not only could not be reframed, one would never believe it was once part of an AIC Exhibition. Restoration Division understood the importance of the delicate aged piece not just to our family but because the work deserved to survive and not just restored but preserved for the future. They explain their techniques, reason and causes for condition as well as options and requirements to remedy them. The piece returned home yesterday looking as if my great-uncle had just finished its final brushstroke proudly in a new frame.

Amazing work performed on an oil on canvas painting with a 6-7 inch cut. A person unfamiliar with…read morethe damage could not pin point the fix. Working with Margaret was excellent as well. She gave me an initial quote based on pictures of the damage and when saw the painting personally she even charged me less for the fix. I live in Chicago and it was totally worth the 20 minute drive to Oak Park as when compared to other quotes I received, this was by far the best and the quality of the work was not sacrificed.

The owners are very nice people. They restored two fine prints and while the six month turn around…read moretime seemed long, I did get them back today. I went to hang them and noticed a screw was driven through the vintage frame and sticking out the front of one of them. They fixed the problem right away and they look great.

I called The Art Rescue about a month ago and was skeptical as they are newer business. I had them…read moreclean my grandmothers silverware and they did a great job! I had stained silverware and wanted to get them nice and shiny again. i didn't expect them to do such a good job. Thanks guys! I will be using them in a future for more projects.

From the owner: The Rescue Art LLC specialize in the maintenance and restoration of metal, wood, masonry, stucco,…read moreplaster, and paint.

My son damaged a porcelain figurine that my wife had since she was a child. She was very upset and…read morewanted to throw it out. I searched to try to find a place that could repair the broken pieces. It was though to find a place there aren't many choices. Art Restoration Experts was responsive and incredibly helpful. It was repaired like new and in-time for Mother's Day! If you've ever done any design or art work - it's also just a cool place to see with all of the tools and material around their shop for the repairs that they do.

It was such a pleasure to meet Tom Tomc and his colleagues at The Art of Restoration on Halsted…read more They are artists in the truest sense with relentless curiosity and rich imaginations. I deeply appreciate the time they spent with me, their genuine interest in and appreciation of the piece I brought to be restored, as well as their profound skill, generosity, and kindness. There was no requirement of them to share other current restoration projects and artwork in the studio, both theirs and that of clients, but I was provided with a fascinating profile of their company and vast knowledge. Rare and daunting intelligence and expertise abound in this studio. Most importantly, their work is exquisite -- painstaking detail on a rare graphic print, that was transformed and brought to life again. I can not write a more positive recommendation nor thank them adequately. You wont be disappointed -- they're simply the best in Chicago!

Absolutely FANTASTIC work by Tom. We bought a rare, pricey, vintage poster that had holes, water…read morestains, creases, spots, tears and Tom worked magic on it. He brought it back to life. He mounted it on linen, cleaned it, and did paper surgery that is flawless. We are very happy with Tom's work. There are so many different places that do this kind of work it's kind of overwhelming trying to find a restorer. We feel so lucky to have found Tom. He's a true artist. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

I had a piece that mother made in the late 40's. She was a commercial artist/puppeteer and briefly…read morehad a TV series on NBC/NYC local TV based on the Fearless Fosdick comic strip by Al Capp. Fosdick was a subset of Lil' Abner. My mother made a display piece for NBC which has survived for over 80 years and was severely damaged. My mom was considered a pioneer for women in commercial art during the "madmen" era, and her work is significant. I wanted it restored by museum quality are specialists. I found them at the Antique & Art Restoration center. The piece looked like it might be beyond repair, but Igor made it look like new repairing damage and restoring the original colors. He then prepared it for display in a sturdy canvas board. The work he did was brilliant. He did my mother's work justice. I can't say enough nice things about this company. They are EXCELLENT!

Igor saved my life. My family have a WPA doll that had…read morebelonged to my mother-in-law. The doll was in my daughter's care - and then in mine when she moved out. It is a very unique black boy doll and clearly of historical value. Somehow, it got damaged. When I learned that the family decided the doll should go to the local library, I panicked. Igor immediately figured out how it had been damaged (loose parakeets!) and was able to seamlessly fix the damage. Like nothing ever happened. He was also able to identify newer clothes on the doll by fabric weight. A true archaeologist. Worth every penny. I would trust the crown jewels to Igor.

FYI Had a rectangular antique oak kitchen table with one leaf and chairs contracted to repair; the…read morelegs were loose and wouldn't tighten. I also wanted a couple of chairs tightened, as they were loose. One guy came to my apartment, informed me that the table was from the 1970s, which I know for a fact was my great-grandmother's from 1918 or so. anyway. He didn't fix the leg correctly, as it was still loose. He told me to let it sit for a day. I did. When I looked at it the next day, it was still loose, and when I attempted to move it back into place, the entire leg broke off. I called them, and he came back out, did something to fix it, but it is still loose and not fixed correctly. They did work for me in the past, framing, rushing a chair, but this time I just ate the money. The chairs are ok now, but the leg, I guess, he just couldn't admit it was beyond his scope. I didn't call again. Id rather eat the money I spent on this than have this guy return.

ALC- you guys rock!…read more Joe and Mike so delicately dealt with my massive, antiqued mirrors and art. They put up large, heavy mirrors, as well as large and fragile oriental art. They did the work in approximately 3.5hours. ALC charges by the hour, at a rate of around $180/h. Thank you Joe and Mike!

Update- I bought a…read moresmall painting at a local auction before Thanksgiving and took it right away to Baumgartner. I expected it to need a lot of work and I was prepared for the price as I paid very little for the actual painting. I was really surprised when Mr. Baumgartner told me that it was actually a pretty simple project and that the cost would be significantly lower than I expected. Mr. Baumgartner's honesty is supremely appreciated- he could have charged me double and I probably would have paid but he was honest and that's really refreshing.

Very bad service. Not professional at all. The owner maybe have spent too much time to do online…read morevideo. He has no time to pay details at all. He messed up two of my paintings and throw away an old label of another painting. Very disappointed.