Art Conservation and Restoration NYC Lowy1907
since 1907
Art Conservation
Bill Santel
CHIEF CONSERVATOR
Bill has been with Lowy for more than 30 years, having worked with such notable conservators such as Gustav Berger, Margaret Watherston and Marco Grassi early in his career. He oversees Lowy’s conservation department, while continuing to apply his own considerable conservation skills, including cleaning, inpainting and lining, to the many masterpieces that pass through Lowy’s doors. His extensive experience and knowledge of conservation ensure the continued quality and efficiency that the art community has come to expect from Lowy. His responsibilities also include staffing the department with the finest talent available and keeping abreast of ongoing scientific advancements, which have contributed to Lowy’s reputation as a leader in the field.
Bill graduated from City College in New York in 1972 with a bachelor’s in art history, having also taken additional courses in studio art at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. He worked for two New York conservation firms, one headed by Berger the other by Watherston, before joining Lowy. Bill, a dedicated painter himself, especially enjoys contributing to the transformation a painting undergoes when it is properly and beautifully conserved.
Lauren Rich
PAINTING CONSERVATOR
Before joining the Lowy team, Lauren aided in the conservation of landmarks across the country such as the Boston Opera House, erected in 1925, and the John Adams Courthouse, erected in 1893 as well as interning in the conservation department at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While obtaining her conservation degree in Florence Italy, she worked on a multitude of projects including a rare opportunity to travel to Serbia and assist the Center of Preventative Conservation, a division of the National Museum of Belgrade, in their aim to preserve their cultural heritage.
Lauren graduated from New York University in 2001 with a dual major in Fine Arts and Renaissance Literature. In addition to obtaining her Master’s Degree in Conservation, she studied the physical sciences at Harvard University. During her undergraduate years she worked for the distinguished Fischbach Gallery in Manhattan where she attained hands-on experience with collection maintenance. At the early age of seven, she began classical training in the execution of oil painting that has helped to shape her love and consideration for the preservation of fine art.
