Léonie Van Der Graaf ACR
STUDIO MANAGER AND HEAD CONSERVATOR
I have been a conservator for more than 25 years. My passion was ignited at the Courtauld, where I studied Conservation of Easel Paintings after my History of Art degree. I quickly realised this was the perfect vocation for me, combining my love of art history with my practical artistic abilities. I worked in various private museums and institutions, including Tate and The National Trust, before joining Simon Gillespie Studio in 2007. I am now the head conservator here.
What I like most about conservation is the real connection that you can feel with an artist or a sitter when you are working so intensely and for so long with a particular work of art. To think of the hand that made that particular brushstroke all those years ago; to imagine the personality behind those eyes that you are dotting in. Sometimes the detail of a ring or a finger print can make that connection even closer. It is a unique experience - a privilege.