Founded in the early 1980s, the I. Joseph Chiarello studio performs examinations, conservation treatments and preventative care on sculpture, Folk Art objects, fine furniture and frames.  

The principal of the studio, Joseph Chiarello, studied painting and anatomical drawing with Frank Reilly at the Art Students’ League in New York, trained in museological conservation techniques with European master sculpture and cabinetmaker Charles Zima, and began his practice doing project collaborations with S. Nicholas Hlopoff, former furniture conservator of The Frick Collection.  In 1988, Natasha Kuzmanović, PhD, joined the studio as partner.

Between 1983 and 2014, Joseph Chiarello was consulting conservator to the American Folk Art Museum, responsible for the conservation of their wood and metal objects and furniture.  Between 1986 and 1998, he was also consulting conservator to the Whitney Museum of American Art, responsible for the conservation of sculpture, frames and loaned furniture.

As a longtime Professional Associate of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historical and Artistic Works (AIC), Joseph Chiarello adheres to the AIC Code of Ethics  and Guidelines for Practice which govern the studio’s standards and practices:  upholding an artwork’s individual aesthetic and cultural significance while implementing conservation treatments that stabilize and preserve the object’s physical integrity and artistic legacy.

For additional information about Joseph Chiarello see Gary Shapiro, “Small Models for a Towering Builder”, The New York Sun, January 15, 2007, pp. 11 & 16.

For Natasha Kuzmanović see Behind the Scenes:  Art Conservation for “The Heckscher Celebrates 100” Exhibition (2021), https://www.heckscher.org/behind-the-scenes-art-conservation-for-the-heckscher-celebrates-100-exhibition/

For a detailed explanation of conservation terminology and the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice (1994), see www.culturalheritage.org/about-us/association/governance.