During a recent move, we had a large framed lithograph damaged by the moving company. The print is of highly sentimental value, and we were heartbroken when it came out of the moving truck shattered, scratched, creased, and punctured by shards of glass. Thankfully, I had enough willpower to keep it and try to have it restored. I found SF Art Conservation after an online search and sent them photos of the piece that I had taken on my phone. I heard back promptly and was told they would work on the print. I cannot thank Michelle Smith who leads their paper department enough for the outstanding job she did in restoring our beloved print. When I first arrived at the studio, she gave me an overview of the type of pieces she was working on (which included a 17-century German bible and an antique Japanese canvas work with large tears), then walked me around and introduced me to all her colleagues. I was impressed not only by the quality of pieces I saw at the studio, but also by how nice and attentive everyone was to me. Michelle restored the print in about 3 weeks time and kept it for me until I returned from a trip abroad. I received a pdf report with before and after photos and a detailed description of the treatment. Michelle had removed glass dust, cleaned, straightened the creases, carefully filled in the scratches and used watercolor to restore the missing surface. Her work was like magic, and even some of the worst damage (creased puncture with missing original surface) can no longer be seen. Michelle also recommended a framer who also did a great job framing the piece. I highly recommend SF Art Conservation and especially Michelle Smith to anyone looking to have a paper-based artwork restored. read more

Rowan Geiger and her team at SF Art Conservation are wizards...is what you would think if you merely looked at before and after photos of their astonishing work. However, that characterization would belie the enormous skill and painstaking attention to detail they invest in the restoration process. My father-in-law sent us a 14th century gilded bronze Buddha. Unfortunately, it was apparently dropped during shipping and suffered notable deformation and cracking. Rowan looked it over and quickly assessed the sort of work that would need to be done to repair it. Her knowledge of materials and methods is truly encyclopedic! An added bonus is that she is extremely gracious and readily gives a tour of the studio, where you can see restoration in progress...fascinating! You might even get the opportunity to see the work of an artistic luminary up close (we saw a small René Magritte painting there on our first visit). When we picked up the restored Buddha, it was clear they had gone above and beyond the call of duty, not only repairing the crack, but also touching up and cleaning other long-neglected areas. Rowan also kindly hooked us up with a skilled mount-maker, since our Buddha was in need of a pedestal. The conservators at SF Art Conservation are consummate professionals, and we would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone in need of art restoration services. read more

I have had the great pleasure to work with Rowan Geiger on a number of projects of varying complexity. She is always highly professional and extremely pleasant to work with. She gets the job done quickly, but with great care and attention to detail. She works on delicate, small objects, as well as on very large outdoor sculptures --painted, bronze, Corten steel.... (I have witnessed her work in all of these areas and all parties have been very pleased with the outcome). She has now hired on several additional conservators to work at her side, and so offers a highly talented team with a broad range of skills in order to address any object conservation project that comes her way. After all of her work on various museum staffs over the years, she now has a full-service objects conservation studio of her own, as well as a beautiful laboratory environment. One more thing; what a surprise, her rates are very reasonable. I know it sounds like I am waxing poetic, but I do so for good reason. Go Rowan! read more

SF Art Conservation resurrected my 19th century painting. Beautiful. Service Excellent, nothing less than that. I brought a 19th century painting whose gilded frame was damaged. The frame was structurally stable after the restoration. Colors were well blended with the original frame. You cannot tell the difference after SF Art Conservation's restoration. Issues with the painting were also addressed. I wanted the piece done in 2 weeks. Stephanie finished it in a week. People Very professional: I found out more about the piece I brought. Options were discussed, everything was transparent. The assessment, conservation and final report were well documented. This is important for every art restoration. Very responsive: I value my time and appreciate that I get updates. I get prompt replies from my emails. I get callbacks when needed. For valuable art restoration, you can go elsewhere or you can get the best service at SF Art Conservation. read more

We have been very happy with SF Art Restoration. We had significant smoke damage in our home from the Tubbs wild fire. Stepanie Limoges came to examine the damage to our oil paintings, prepared a restoration proposal, and completed the work in our home over two days. Our insurance company, and others active in this area, initially suggested we have our art sent to Chicago for restoration. It turns out that friends who took that approach will be without their art for about six months! Staphanie and her team were very professional. They took before and after photos, wrote a description of the damage, gave us a detailed report on the restoration steps used on each painting, added backing on the paintings that did not have it, and replaced hanging wires when appropriate. All this, and their final bill was significantly less than the original quoted price. We highly recommend SF Art for this kind of work. read more

I have employed Rowan and her team on two occasions. The first involved repairs to badly cracked 18th century, gilded carvings, the second involved restoration of a deteriorated 17th century Flemish oil painting. Both projects were managed perfectly. Before work began all options were carefully clarified, and dollar /timeline estimates provided. In each case results met or exceeded my expectations. The work was executed with painstaking care, the costs came in the same or lower than anticipated, and completion was punctual. Rowan Geiger was professional in every communication and open to all questions. Her detailed treatment reports were essential for me to subsequently establish increased value for my works. I will bring her additional projects with the knowledge that she only undertakes what she is exceptionally qualified to restore /conserve. read more

I manage the collection of a private art collector in Silicon Valley, and Rowan Geiger's extensive conservation work on a very wide range of pieces has been invaluable. She is incredibly professional, responsive, personable, resourceful, and timely. Her level and breadth of expertise is astonishing, and the quality of her work is unfailingly excellent. We have brought her objects ranging from cellulose acetate mosaics, to African statuettes, to modern lamps...and she has approached and conquered each problem with creativity and meticulous attention to detail. Rowan also brings with her a valuable network of other professionals who offer additional advice and resources. I have been thrilled with every piece of work she's done for me and would not think of using any other conservator. I wholeheartedly recommend her and her services. read more

Rowan and her staff have completed three restoration projects for us. All three pieces are Eskimo works from Canada and required different types of repair. The work was completed in a timely fashion and was done so well that it is impossible to see where they did the repairs. In the course of conservation, they also cleaned the items making them look better than when we dropped them off. They thoroughly document everything and give you a price up front. You should be aware that this quality of work is not inexpensive, but it was worth every penny we paid to see these lovely works of art restored to their original condition. What a relief to find such qualified people willing to work on these smaller projects! read more

Michelle and Stephanie have done work on a Moholy-Nagy collage and a Matta painting, respectively. I love working with this team: they are lovely people with an amazing trove of knowledge and experience. The work has been impeccable. Going there is always a treat and they are happy to talk about the pieces there - an ancient set of armor, a marble bust with chips, a gold rush era painting. They can do it all and work with institutions all over. read more

SF Art Conservation is our go-to Conservator in the bay area. We like the fact that we can safely rely on their team to handle our artwork with professionalism and courtesy, as well as providing excellent results! Very much recommended for any gallery or museum needing artwork conservation. read more