Art Conservation Solutions
The Studio
Art Conservation Solutions, a private conservation studio in NYC, specializes in the conservation of Modern and Contemporary art, from traditional paintings on canvas to works composed of an array of non-traditional materials. As every artwork is unique, at ACS we approach each project with curiosity and consideration, bringing nearly 40 years of combined experience to our work. Our technical expertise, material knowledge, hand skills, and aesthetic sensitivity is combined with a deep understanding of artists’ working processes and intent, ensuring an appropriate solution is achieved for every artwork in our care.
About
Mary and Kristin founded Art Conservation Solutions in 2021 in order to continue providing clients with the excellent conservation services they had come to expect from Cranmer Art Group, where they were both partners until the retirement of Dana Cranmer in early 2021. Both founders are highly trained conservators with years of experience and expertise in the treatment of Contemporary and 20th Century art.
Mary Gridley
Mary received a B.A. in Art History from Yale University and a Diploma in the Conservation of Easel Paintings from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, England. Since 1985 she has worked in conservation for various institutions including The Cooper-Hewitt Museum, The Victoria & Albert Museum, The National Trust (England), and Area Museums Services for South East England.
Mary joined Cranmer Art Group in 1995, where she specialized in both paintings and works on paper, and became a leader in the field of structural treatments of paintings on canvas. Her innovative approaches to cracked paint films and unforgiving surfaces have been shared widely through lectures, publications, and her mentoring efforts. She has been elected a Fellow of both the American Institute for Conservation and the International Institute for Conservation.
She brings a high level of expertise and decades of experience to ACS, where she continues to develop cutting-edge solutions to the many challenges of Modern and Contemporary art conservation.
Kristin Robinson
Kristin received her B.F.A. in Fine Art and Art History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her M.A. in Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU, and her Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the Conservation Center at NYU. Since 2006 she has worked with conservators at numerous private studios in NC and NY, and at the Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Kristin joined Cranmer Art Group in 2012, where she specialized in the treatment of challenging surfaces, especially minimalist paintings and non-traditional paint surfaces. Kristin has continued to pursue the vast possibilities of aqueous cleaning solutions and gels in her work, and has long been interested in the properties of aging materials and their relationship to an artwork’s aesthetic and the artist’s intent.