Art Restoration Services

[Konan]

Maryland

Good afternoon and thank you for your help in advance

About a month ago I made a mistake and found an advertising posted by a gallery in Annapolis that provides art restoration services. I do have a couple of damaged items that are a great sentimental value to me. I took those two items to the gallery for the restoration. Those two items were accepted, and I was given a receipt

Then (I wasn't aware of that in a beginning) those two items were picked by a restorer, and he took them to his studio, and that was it. For about two weeks nothing was done; he didn't even start working on those items.

I made a decision to go somewhere else, but surprisingly I can't get those items back. The gallery owner claims that she can give me those items back only when the restorer brings those items back, but she is not sure when.

She claims that she calls, and he doesn't answer, and she doesn't know when I can have those items back

What can I do to legally make the gallery return those items to me (those items are extremely valuable to me). I do have a receipt from that gallery

Thank you once again in advance

 

[quincy]

Maryland

Good afternoon and thank you for your help in advance

About a month ago I made a mistake and found an advertising posted by a gallery in Annapolis that provides art restoration services. I do have a couple of damaged items that are a great sentimental value to me. I took those two items to the gallery for the restoration. Those two items were accepted, and I was given a receipt

Then (I wasn't aware of that in a beginning) those two items were picked by a restorer, and he took them to his studio, and that was it. For about two weeks nothing was done; he didn't even start working on those items.

I made a decision to go somewhere else, but surprisingly I can't get those items back. The gallery owner claims that she can give me those items back only when the restorer brings those items back, but she is not sure when.

She claims that she calls, and he doesn't answer, and she doesn't know when I can have those items back

What can I do to legally make the gallery return those items to me (those items are extremely valuable to me). I do have a receipt from that gallery

Thank you once again in advance

First a question to sate my curiosity: You said, "For about two weeks nothing was done, he didn't even start working on those items." How do you know no work was done on your items for two weeks if there has been no contact between you and the restorer or the gallery and the restorer?

Skilled art restorers are few and far between, and restoration on a work of art can take a long time. Depending on what needs to be done, you are looking at months and years rather than a couple of weeks. Didn't you ask the gallery to provide you with an estimate of how long the restoration project would take, before handing over your work?

I suppose if you are anxious to have your work back, you can send, or have an attorney in your area send, a letter to the gallery, demanding the return of the items you were having restored. Be prepared to pay for the time the restorer has already put into restoring your work.

 

[Konan]

First a question to sate my curiosity: You said, "For about two weeks nothing was done, he didn't even start working on those items." How do you know no work was done on your items for two weeks if there has been no contact between you and the restorer or the gallery and the restorer?

Skilled art restorers are few and far between, and restoration on a work of art can take a long time. Depending on what needs to be done, you are looking at months and years rather than a couple of weeks. Didn't you ask the gallery to provide you with an estimate of how long the restoration project would take, before handing over your work?

I suppose if you are anxious to have your work back, you can send, or have an attorney in your area send, a letter to the gallery, demanding the return of the items you were having restored. Be prepared to pay for the time the restorer has already put into restoring your work.

I was in contact with the gallery owner who first said it would take four to six days to get an estimate. There was no estimate or anything after two weeks. As I was told "He has about 40 pieces ahead of you" I find it doubtful that the estimate can take this long. I suppose my items aren't important enough for him to start working on them. Nobody warned me that it might take about a month for just an estimate. I am fine with a month or two months of work; I am not fine with my items just lying there, and me losing time.

However when I asked to get my items back, I can't even be given a certain time frame when I can pick those items up

 

[quincy]

I was in contact with the gallery owner who first said it would take four to six days to get an estimate. There was no estimate or anything after two weeks. As I was told "He has about 40 pieces ahead of you" I find it doubtful that the estimate can take this long. I suppose my items aren't important enough for him to start working on them. Nobody warned me that it might take about a month for just an estimate. I am fine with a month or two months of work; I am not fine with my items just lying there, and me losing time.

However when I asked to get my items back, I can't even be given a certain time frame when I can pick those items up

I can understand how you feel that waiting a month for just an estimate can seem like an unreasonably long period of time but, as I noted earlier, there are not a lot of skilled art restorers around. It is not unusual to have to wait awhile for a restorer to have time enough available to examine a work and provide an estimate.

It appears that your expectations might have been a bit unrealistic at the beginning, if you were expecting your works of art to be restored in a month or two. Although I am not sure what you mean by "me losing time," if you are in a hurry for some reason to get your works back from the restorer, you will need to keep contacting the gallery - through an attorney if necessary.

Good luck.