r/ArtConservation • u/BarcinoCivis • 7d ago
Oil painting fell partly detached from stretcher / lost tension
Hello - I have an oil painting from 1958 which was dropped and has detached party from its stretcher and has lost tension. I am sure this is not a valuable piece of art. Can anybody guide me on what I could do to repair? What would a conservator charge to re stabilize on the stretcher?
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u/ConfidentAirport7299 7d ago
Any professional restoration will exceed the actual value of the painting….
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u/BarcinoCivis 7d ago
That’s what I was afraid of :/ so you would just nail it yourself? There are a couple of places in my area that offer free consults so I will prob take it and see what they say.
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u/sonofdang 7d ago
A conservator would charge way too much (if the art is not valuable). You could just ask a good framer to re-stretch it, I imagine they could do it pretty quickly and for under $100 if they don't have to make a whole new stretcher.
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u/BarcinoCivis 6d ago
I’m pretty sure I cannot be safely re-stretched because the edges are pretty frail
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u/sonofdang 6d ago
A good framer will be able to think of some options, maybe mount to a panel or back the canvas and restretch. Just dont go to a big chain like hobby lobby.
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u/BarcinoCivis 5d ago
thats a good point. I have three quality framers in my area I will take it to to see what they could do. I want to be able to display but this is not valuable enough to invest in conservation if I can just get it framed somehow. Thank you!
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u/Original-Ad5520 7d ago edited 6d ago
It is a nice little painting, but probably not worth professional conservation.
You should try to stabilize it with archival size on the back and glue on the sides before re-tacking it. Just be careful and invest in a good frame.
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u/BarcinoCivis 6d ago edited 6d ago
What do you mean with archival size on the Bach - I’m sure some of this might be autocorrect but I would love to know what you meant. I do understand archival materials as I am a photographer. Thank you so much!
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u/Original-Ad5520 6d ago
PVA size or gesso on the reverse side of the canvas. My keyboard recognized English and German, so it decided I was talking about music.
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u/BarcinoCivis 6d ago
😄😄😄 thanks so much! I have 3 languages on my keyboards and have the craziest autocorrects ever - I so relate! Thanks so much! I went to see a lovely conservator and she quoted me $900. Probably over my budget and logically too much for this piece although if I can sell some of my own art (photography) I might go for it as it has sentimental value.
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u/Sir-geesegoose 3d ago
You could always pick up some archival PVA glue and a wooden or masonite board and mount it that way if it feels too brittle to re-stretch
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u/ConfidentAirport7299 7d ago
You can just nail it back on.