Great Martins

Private Residence, Sculpture Collection

Art Contact was engaged by Estate Manager, Tom Bream, to maintain and manage the sculpture collection at Great Martins. Our work involves annual inspection and cleaning, as well as restoration and conservation as required to preserve the collection’s integrity, condition, and visual impact.

Alongside maintenance, we have also commissioned new works to enhance and expand the collection. These include an Armillary Sphere by Border Sundials and a Panoramic Thames Map – From Great Martins to the Sea by Ewan Eason. Both pieces were selected to complement the existing sculptures and to add contemporary relevance to the historic setting.

This ongoing programme ensures that the Great Martins collection remains visually engaging, historically preserved, and carefully curated, blending traditional craftsmanship with contemporary artistic expression to reflect the estate’s evolving legacy.

Object

  • Sculpture collection management
  • Conservation
  • Commissions.

Focus

  • Collection maintenance
  • Restoration
  • Bespoke commissions.

Client

  • Private Client

Sector

  • Private Residence

Location

  • Berkshire

Status

  • Ongoing
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ANZ Bank

Art Contact was approached by ANZ Bank to advise on the repair of a picture frame that had been damaged. They were keen that the picture frame restoration should tie in with their move to new offices.

The damaged frame was viewed on site and an appropriate restorer was invited to submit an estimate. Once the estimate had been agreed, and appropriate insurance cover had been put in place, the painting and its damaged frame were collected from the old offices and delivered to the picture frame restorer.

Having carried out the restoration the picture with its frame were then returned to the bank’s new offices for installation.

This restoration project was carried out to a very tight deadline so that the picture could be collected from the old office and returned, following the restoration of the frame, to their new offices.

  • Object – Restoration of damaged picture frame.
  • Client – ANZ Bank
  • Sector – Office & Corporate
  • Location – Canary Warf, London
  • Status – Complete
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
Picture Frame Restoration
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Private Client – Sanchez Restoration

Painting restoration required to painting damaged by the rolling up of the painting that had been removed from its stretcher.

This artwork had been purchased by our client. For easy transportation and the painting had been removed from the stretcher and rolled up. This had resulted in extensive cracking and significant losses due to the rolling of the canvas and the lack of tension.

Art Contact was asked to arrange the restoration of the damaged painting and to supply a new stretcher and tray frame.

The painting was carefully packed for transportation, fixed to a new stretcher and re-touched. Once completed the painting was fixed into its new tray frame and the artwork returned to our client.

The painting was then installed by the client.

Our Conservation and Restoration Services

  • Object – Restoration of Damaged Painting
  • Client – Private Client
  • Sector – Residential
  • Location –  Mayfair, London
  • Status – Completed
Restoration of Damaged Painting - Sanchez
Sanchez Painting Restoration
Sanchez Painting Restoration Detail
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Kings Fund – Painting Restoration

Painting Restoration required by the Kings Fund for minor damage to a triptych by Gerald Mynott. The painting had a number of scratches in the surface and the frame had some damage to the gilding and the gesso preparation. This damage had been caused by daily traffic through the offices – tea trolleys etc.

The scratches in the paint surface were retouched with a reversible treatment of pigments in an acrylic resin binder.

The damage to the frame was repaired using traditional materials and 23.5crt gold leaf. Once completed the surface was distressed and toned with pigments in an organic binder to match the original surface.

Once the painting restoration had been completed it was returned to the Kings Fund and re-installed.

Click here for further information about Conservation and Restoration

  • Object – Restoration of Damaged Painting and Frame
  • Client – Kings Fund
  • Sector – Institution
  • Location –  London
  • Status – Completed
Painting Restoration - Kings Fund
Painting Restoration - Kings Fund
Painting Restoration - Kings Fund
Painting Restoration - Kings Fund
Painting Restoration - detail - Kings Fund
Painting Restoration - detail - Kings Fund
Painting Restoration - detail - Kings Fund
Painting Restoration - detail - Kings Fund
Painting Restoration - detail - Kings Fund
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Worshipful Company of Fishmongers – Pageant Scroll

Art Contact was asked by the Fishmongers Company to arrange for the Conservation and Restoration of their Pageant Scroll. The scroll depicts the Lord Mayors pageant of 1616 and dates from around that time.

The scroll was hanging in a frame, mounted on fabric stretched over a wooden support. As part of their on-going refurbishment of the Hall it was decided to make a feature of the scroll by placing it in a purpose built display cabinet in the Library of the Fishmongers Hall.

Art Contact made the arrangements for the scroll to be removed from its existing frame and support. The scroll was then transported to our paper restorer for conservation, restoration and re-mounting onto a new conservation grade support.

The mounted scroll was then packed and placed in storage until the display cabinet had been installed ready to receive the re-mounted scroll.

See the images below in the various stages of the project.

Download Case Study

  • Object – Assist with the Conservation and Restoration of the Pageant Scroll of 1616 at the Fishmongers Hall
  • Client – Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
  • Sector – Office & Corporate
  • Location –  London
  • Status – Completed
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Private Client – Spain

Following damage to an art print in a motor accident in Spain, Art Contact was approached to arrange the restoration of the un-framed print.

The damaged print was restored by our paper restorer, packed, crated and returned via our international shippers to our client in Puerto Banus.

  • Object – Restoration of Damaged Print
  • Client – Private Client
  • Sector – Residential
  • Location –  Puerto Banus, Spain
  • Status – Completed
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Privet Client – Hull

Following the return of a painting from loan to a gallery where it had been on a touring exhibition, Art Contact was approached by an existing client to arrange for the repair of damage that had occurred while the painting was away at the exhibition.

The painting had received a number of surface scratches and was also suffering from some bruising caused by the stretcher cross bars. The scratches were repaired and a stretcher lining installed to reduce future bruising by the stretcher cross bars.

Download Case Study

  • Object – Restoration of damage to painting following Loan
  • Client – Private Client
  • Sector – Residential
  • Location –  Hull
  • Status – Completed
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Association of British Insurers

Following on from our previous work on their stained glass panels, when the Association of British Insurers relocated to their new offices Art Contact was again asked to assist and to find a solution for the display of their collection of stained glass panels.

The solution that was decided upon was to lightly frame the panels and hang them together in front of a light box. The resulting display is very effective and has been extremely well received.

As well as working with the stained glass panels we were also asked to conserve and re-frame some of their extremely old documents including one of the oldest insurance policies in existence. This framing was carried out to full conservation standards and should protect these items from the London atmosphere for years to come.

Download Case Study

  • Object – Frame and Display images for London Offices
  • Client – Association of British Insurers
  • Sector – Ofices & Corporate
  • Location –  London
  • Status – Completed
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Open University

The Open University campus has a large collection of artworks from around the world. Art Contact has been assisting the team at the Open University to maintain, conserve and restore their collection for many years. Most recently Art Contact was appointed to conserve and re-frame where appropriate their large collection of limited edition prints and paintings.

The pictures were largely re-framed in similar moulding so that any combination of artworks could be hung together as required. When required artworks were enclosed behind acrylic covers to add additional protection to vulnerable artworks.

  • Object – Conservation, restoration and re-framing of existing art collection
  • Client – Open University
  • Sector – Corporate/Educational
  • Location – Milton Keynes
  • Status – Completed
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Association of British Insurers

A selection of historical stained glass panels were reused and modernised into a light box to fit the company’s contemporary space.

Art Contact also selected and supplied a number of abstract contemporary artworks for the meeting rooms and other spaces around the building.

  • Object – Restoration of stained glass panels and supply of display.
  • Client – Association of British Insurers
  • Sector – Corporate
  • Location – City of London
  • Status – Completed
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Taylor Wessing

Our brief was to incorporate existing artwork into the company’s contemporary offices, as well as to provide further artwork to complement the existing collection for the client facing areas on the 9th and 10th floors at New Gate Square.

As well as providing a full audit of their collection, Art Contact also sourced a variety of items producing an extensive portfolio from which the final items were selected.

The  existing collection and the new artworks were framed or re-framed as required to suit the decor of the new offices and installed as planned.

Object

  • Audit Collection, source select and supply artworks to complement the existing collection

Client

  • Taylor Wessing

Sector

  • Corporate

Location

  • City Of London

Status

  • Completed
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