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Categories
Fine Art Restoration
Services & Specialties
Fine art conservation and restoration; painting specialist
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RECOMMENDATION
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4.5]
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WORK QUALITY
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COST EVALUATION
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VALUE ANALYSIS
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ADD YOUR REVIEW
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FR Review:
While many of Florida's museums and galleries send pieces out of state or fly experts in for conservation and restoration work, James Swope, a true expert and a true local, is a precious rarity. Armed with a team of assistants, a well-stocked laboratory in West Palm Beach, and four degrees (undergraduate art history, chemistry, studio art, and graduate degree in conservation from Harvard), Swope provides comprehensive fine art care to his clients, a group that includes museums, top galleries, and prestigious private collectors. The firm's full list of services includes condition reports, insurance assessments, expert witness testimony, collection survey and a host of physical conservation work, everything from large scale full restorations to emergency patch-ups. While Swope has worked on a variety of mediums (including, notably, the mural by George Snow Hill at Tampa International Airport), most sources (and Swope's own CV) point to American and European paintings as a particular area of strength. Indeed, for its work in that field, the firm earns high praise from both laymen and experts, many noting that "you barely notice what they've done, yet somehow the piece comes out ten times better." Of course, given the caliber of the work and the inherent expense of materials and labor, Swope's prices are not low. Yet many references insist that clients would be willing to pay much more, given the results.
Representative Client Comments:
"A well-known local expert that the art community puts trust in." "His standards are high and his work is quite good." "One thing to remember is that it's not always best to have a piece fully restored - Mr. Swope is more likely to recommend cleaning and delicate treatment. He's very conscientious that way."
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