Baumgartner Restoration

About

Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration, also known simply as Baumgartner Restoration, is an art restoration company based in Chicago, Illinois, and a YouTube channel run by professional art conservator Julian Baumgartner. Since 2016, its YouTube channel would become known for its art restoration videos that some have watched for its ASMR-like qualities along with lightly humorous commentary and narration in regards to some previous restoration attempts.

History

The company was originally founded in 1978 by R. Agass Baumgartner in Chicago, Illinois, and is currently run by his son Julian Baumgartner after Agass' death in 2011. Julian originally studied painting and printmaking at Purchase College, SUNY, before starting an apprenticeship at the company and working alongside his father, restoring old or damaged artwork.^[1]

Baumgartner Restoration's official YouTube channel was started on July 27th, 2016, with its first video uploaded the same day featuring a restoration of a portrait by artist William Merritt Chase (shown below, left). On December 7th, 2017, the YouTube channel would upload its earliest video with narration from Julian, where he would give context to the artwork's state and explain his methods used to restore the painting, featuring the aforementioned William Merritt Chase portrait (shown above, right).

The following year, Baumgartner Restoration videos increased in popularity. On November 28th, 2018, the video "Old Master Painting Conversation" received more than 5.3 million views (shown below).

Reputation

On January 23rd, 2020, Mashable ^[2] featured his videos in an article entitled "Painting restoration YouTube is the niche relaxation you need." In the piece, Mashable lauds the calming effect of the Baumgartner videos. They wrote:

At this point, I've spent several hours watching these videos and frankly, I've learned a lot. I now know the importance of reversible paints (so future conservators can take off the past conservation jobs without harming the original painting), and that B72 resin is paramount for stabilizing wood and other surfaces the paint sits on.

And I'm clearly not the only one who's a fan. In December of last year, Baumgartner won a YouTube Creator's Silver Award for surpassing 100,000 subscribers, and in true conservationist and YouTuber fashion, he made an unboxing video.

Online Relevance

On Facebook, the company's official page has accrued over 140,000 likes, along with a perfect 5/5 rating from 114 people. On Instagram, the official account for the company has garnered over 294,000 followers. On Youtube, the official channel has garnered over 1.26 million subscribers since its creation.

Search Interest

External References