CONSERVATION
Using only the highest quality materials, state-of-the-art techniques, and highly
trained professionals, Parma Conservation provides an unmatched excellence in the
conservation of paintings and murals.
Parma's unique expertise stems from the direction of its founder, Elizabeth Kendall,
who spent 15 years in Italy conserving Renaissance masters such as Andrea del
Sarto, Caravaggio, and Correggio. Since moving back to the United States she was
named a Professional Associate of the American Institute of Conservation, and has
credited Parma with over 25 years of experience in art conservation.
Equipped to handle the most delicate of treatments, Parma offers museum quality
conservation to all genres of painting. Whether a centuries-old panel slowly degraded
by time, or a 30-year-old portrait marred by accident, Parma brings the artistic,
historical, and intentional value back to each artwork it treats.
Parma Conservation
1100 W. Cermak Road
Suite C-203
Chicago, IL 60614
Tel: 312-733-5178
Fax: 312-733-0675
info@parmaconservation.com
www.parmaconservation.com
Painting Conservation
Treatment Example
A late 19th Century seascape was
presented for treatment and cleaning in
1991. Upon careful examination, a
significant discovery was made. The
crackle pattern on the painting's surface
suggested the existence of another
painting beneath it. Using radiography to
confirm the sub-painting, we proceeded
to remove the external layer. What
emerged was a far more valuable piece of
art; the portrait of a cleric, painted in the
16th century in Northern Italy.
19th Century Italian Portait
Even paintings that appear ruined by
paint loss can be conserved. Paint
losses are corrected with precision filling
materials, and then expertly color
matcher to the surrounding area. This
type of treatment is very technical and
controlled, and limited to the areas of
actual loss, so that none of the
compensations cover any original paint,
as revealed in UV light. All compensation
materials are compatible and completely
reversible for conservation purposes.
Dunkirk Indiana Post Office Mural
Conservation
Title: Preparation for Autumn Festival,
Dunkirk
Size: 13’7” x 4’6”
Medium: oil on canvas
Artist: Frances Foy
Date: 1940
Location: 123 West Commerce St.,
Dunkirk, IN
A good deal of Parma’s work involves
conservation of murals in architectural
settings. The artist who painted this
mural, Frances Foy, was an important
Chicago artist who worked actively during
the New Deal Era. The mural is best
described by her:
“This mural is a combination of things
that especially impressed me on the trip
to Dunkirk. I remember goats there, and
apple trees with apples still on, and the
Dunkirk glass-factory chimney, and
yellow corn hung up to dry. And what took
my fancy most were these huge, goose-
neck squashes, like gorgeous musical
instruments. They are hardly natural
looking.”
After 6 decades, it was time to clean and
conserve the mural for future generations
to enjoy. Through precise cleaning
methodology, years of accumulated dirt,
grime, and tobacco smoke were removed
to reveal the intended palette, spatial
relationships, and luminosity originally
inherent in this beautiful work.