OP conservationist says passion for art restoration starts with respect for history

Peggy Van Witt began learning the craft of art conservation at a very young age. While growing up in Frankfurt, Germany, Witt’s grandmother, Salome Panthel, taught her to conserve artworks that had been ravaged by two world wars. Van Witt was just 15 when she completed her first painting restoration.

“My grandmother was the quintessential Renaissance woman,” said Van Witt, founder of Van Witt Fine Art Conservation in Overland Park. “She was an artist, sang opera and could play every musical instrument. All of her children, including my mother, went to art school and learned art restoration as part of the program.”

According to Van Witt, her mother, Brunhilda Panthel, was a talented artist and designer but didn’t have the patience for restoration. Instead, she became an art and antiques dealer.

“In Frankfurt, my mother would go out and pick up art and antiques and bring them home for us to restore,” Van Witt said. “Art filled my grandmother’s home and I loved it.”

At her own conservation studio, Van Witt is immersed in her passion every day. She brings her love for art, along with the business acumen acquired from her grandmother and mother, to her own business.

However, over the past several decades, the conservation methods Witt learned in her youth have been redefined. The vocabulary has shifted from “art restoration” to “art conversation,” and dramatically different practices are now industry standard. From techniques to materials, art conservation has become more scientific.

“I’ve seen the gamut of conservation, from Old World restoration techniques to today’s standards,” Van Witt said.

Though still very much a hands-on process, Van Witt’s practices today include scientific analysis and assessments of an artwork’s condition and treatments used. Research is done on the artist’s original intent and the environment in which the art is going to be placed, to ensure optimum preservation.

Approximately 80 percent of Van Witt’s projects are paintings and murals. She and her team of professional conversation contractors also restore antique frames, sculpture, ceramics and paper artworks.

Kat Zahner is a key member of Van Witt’s conservation team.

“Peggy has taught me the value of conservation and shown me how one small detail can be so crucial to the overall artwork,” said Zahner, who was an art history major.

There are a wide array of reasons artworks arrive to Van Witt. Frequently, the varnish applied to oil paintings may have darkened, cracked or yellowed. The artwork may be dirty or deteriorating. Also, damage from fire, water or extreme weather, along with punctures or tears, can bring the need for conservation.

Van Witt’s client base is diverse. She works on projects for museums that don’t have a staff conservator, such as the Spencer Museum of Art or the Wichita Art Museum. She also completes projects for fine art galleries, appraisers and dealers, as well as private collectors.

Most recently, Van Witt completed the conservation of 19 historical paintings from the Henry Blosser House in Saline County, Mo. This multi-faceted project included conservation of the paintings and frames.

During 2018, Van Witt and her team conserved nearly 500 artworks, and business is looking brisk for 2019.

Van Witt’s journey from a childhood in Frankfurt to a successful art conservation studio in Overland Park didn’t come without some unexpected challenges.

After graduating from college 1976, Van Witt worked as a creative director in the European offices of American-based advertising agencies. During those years, she devoted her spare time to completing art conservation projects. She also married and started a family.

In 1996, a divorce left Van Witt a single mother with a 6-week-old baby and 4-year-old child to raise. Van Witt chose to start her life over in the United States and moved with her two young sons to Connecticut to live with her brother, Peter Van Witt.

“When I got here, I realized very quickly there was a need for art conservation services. I told Peter I just needed a chance and I could make a conservation business work. I convinced him to help me with some studio space and opened my business in Westport, Connecticut in 1997. Immediately I was able to make a living conserving art.”

While building her business in Connecticut, Van Witt studied with a widely respected conservationist, Arnold Wagner, to learn the latest conservation techniques and American Institute of Conservation standards.

Then, in 2003, she met her husband, Emil Wansa, an Overland Park resident. Always opening the door to the future, Van Witt moved her sons and business to Kansas City to start a new life.

From 2003 through 2014, Van Witt ran her business out of her home, while growing her customer base through local antique shows and word of mouth. In 2014, she opened her current location in downtown Overland Park.

“People need to hang on to their history and I want to help preserve that history. I also want to people have art that is meaningful to them.”

Contact Van Witt Fine Art Conservation for more information.

This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 10:47 AM with the headline "OP conservationist says passion for art restoration starts with respect for history."