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Conservation

L'Operatorium

Paper Conservation

L'Operatorium is a company owned by Ségolène Girard, Accredited Paper Conservator, specializing in conservation of paper, cardboard, tracing papers and vellum. Our expertise includes the treatment of drawings, watercolors, prints, oil paintings on paper, books, fans, screens, globes, boxes, etc.
We can preserve some types of leather and gilded frames as well. 
L'Operatorium owns a workshop in Paris 14th district reknowned for breeding the 20th c. artists of the Ecole de Paris, as well as a consulting workspace in the antiquarians neighborhood of Versailles. We respect conservation rules as stated by ICCROM, ICCOM CC and ECCO.
Beside Paper Conservation l'Operatorium has a distinct activity of copying according to traditional techniques, believing that practice and theory combined offers a better understanding of artworks as far as conservation is concerned.
References
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References & Skills

 

 

EDUCATION

After studying paper conservation for five years and having had multiples institutional experiences alongside the conservators of the Palace of Versailles, the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford University, the Bibliothèque Nationale et Universitaire of Strasbourg, the National Library of Czech Republic, Ségolène Girard receives her Master in Paper Conservation with distinction in 2016 in Paris.

 

Selected by the jury to receive a scholarship, she is able to pursue for a 6th year of research allowing the development of an innovative material for leather bindings conservation : SINTEVA. She conjointly launched her paper conservation workshop in private practice that year in Versailles, as well as in Paris a year later.

EXPERIENCE

April 2019, Louvre Museum, Selected for the conception of didactic tools and a copy, for the introducing room of exhibition "Figure d'Artiste". The copy is after the reception piece of painter Anne Vallayer Coster, in a wish to especially throw light upon female artists and how copy allowed them to be recognized for the first time as a mean to enter the academy along with their peers. More on this link

Novembre 2018, Received an authorization to copy in the Louvre museum which gives me the opportunity to explore and understand the tools and techniques used by artists through the history, as a means to improve my practice as a paper conservator.

June 2018, Memoria Technica, Seattle, Washington

Contractor for the conservation of a mechanical / pull-toy papier-mâché bulldog, collaboration with Brittany Nicole Cox, Horology and Dynamic Objects Conservation

May 2018, Angels Project, Houston, Texas

Volunteer after a fire disaster at the Printing Museum (newspaper archives)

2016-current, self-employed at Operatorium Ségolène Girard co., Versailles 

2016 (May), University of Oxford

Volunteer after a flood disaster in one of the University's College (drawings collection)

2016 (June, July, August), National Library of Czech Republic (Klementinum), Prague

Intern under Mrs Petra VAVROVA supervision, Depositary, Head of conservation of the Scientific and Research department

2016 (March, April, May ), Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Intern under Mrs Alexandra GREATHEAD mentorship, Head of conservation of the Prints and Drawings department

2016 (January, February), Bibliothèque Nationale Universitaire (BNU), Strasbourg

Intern under Mr Thierry AUBRY mentorship, Head of conservation of the Books and Graphic Arts department

2015 (February), Palace of Versailles

Intern under Mrs Marylène MERCIER mentorship, Head of conservation of the Graphic Arts department

2014 (July), Château de Versailles

Intern under Mrs Marylène MERCIER mentorship, Head of conservation of the Graphic Arts department

2014 (June), Versailles Public Library (BMV)

Intern under Mr Christophe THOMET supervision 

2013, Temple's Public Library, Lyon

School Project (one week) under Mrs Béatrice ALCADE tutoring

2013, Atelier and Automata Museum Michel Marcu

Training, Lusigny-sur-Barse, Champagne

2012, L'Atelier de Vanves

School Project (one week) under Mrs Lisa MÜLLER tutoring, Paris

EXHIBITIONS 

♢ Conservation for the upcoming Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibition, 2021.

 

♢ Condition reports of works by Warhol for the exhibition « Andy Warhol, Works from the Hall Collection », Ashmolean Museum, 2016. (internship)

♢ Installation and condition reports for the exhibition « Elisabeth Price, A Restoration », Ashmolean Museum, 2016. (internship)

♢ Conservation and framing of prints before a loan from the palace of Versailles to the city of Arras for the exhibition “Le château de Versailles en 100 chefs-d’œuvre", Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras, 2014. (internship)

 

♢ Condition reports for the exhibition "Charles de La Fosse, le Triomphe de la couleur", Palace of Versailles, february 24th - may 24th 2015. (internship)

♢ Conservation of prints by Nicolas Cochin the son for the exhibition « Rameau et son temps : Harmonie et lumières », Versailles Library, 2014. (internship)

 

♢ Conservation of prints by Nicolas Cochin the son before a loan from Versailles Library for the exhibition « Le Roi est mort ! », Palace of Versailles, october 27th 2015 - february 21st 2016. (internship)

PATENT

SINTEVA CUIR

CONFERENCES

Workshop, SINTEVA cuirs, synthetic leathers for conservation, guest-speaker at the Klementinum, National Library of Czech Republic, Prague, august 2020.

 

Speaker, (Poster) 11th intermediary meeting of leather and related materials working group of the ICOM-CC (International Council of Museums - Committee for Conservation), Paris, Musée du Quai Branly, juin 2019.

 

Lecturer, "The Current use of Leather in Book Conservation", AIC annual symposium (The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works), Houston, may 2018.

Speaker, (Poster) "From Generation to Generation, Sharing Knowledge", IADA annual symposium (International Association for Book and Paper Conservation), Oslo, april 2017.

PUBLICATIONS

Girard, S. , Sinteva, Développement d'un cuir de synthèse pour la conservation-restauration, Actes de la 11ème rencontre du groupe de travail Cuir et Matériaux associés (suite à la conférence internationale de l'ICOM-CC en juin 2019 au Musée du Quai Branly), publié en décembre 2020, dans "Nouvelles approches de conservation-restauration", p.145. publication

Girard, S. , On hair again: Conservation of a flocked papier-maché bulldog toy, The Book and Paper Gathering, novembre 2020. article

Girard, S. , BEVA® 371-based synthetic leather, A Preliminary Investigation on the use of BEVA 371 as a Repair Material for Leather Bindings (Peer-reviewed), Journal of Paper Conservation, Volume 19, issue 1, pages: 24-38. 2019. publication

Girard, S. , Papier-mâché that barks : Woof! Crack! Woops…, Conservation of a mechanical pull-toy bulldog, article for Memoria Technica blog section, Horology and Dynamic Objects Conservation, Seattle based, http://mechanicalcurios.com, 2018. article

Girard, S. ,  BEVA 371 Synthetic Leather, Investigation on the uses of BEVA 371 as a Repair Material for Leather Bindings (Abstract), p.61, In: From Generation to Generation - Sharing Knowledge, Connecting People (Preprints), IADA International Symposium - Oslo, 3-5 may 2017, 1p. 2017. article

Girard, S. ,  Conservation-restauration d'une peinture à l'huile sur papier marouflée sur toile (1826), Recherche d’un matériau de renfort synthétique pour la consolidation des reliures basée sur l’étude des Cast Composites de la Public Library de New York (2010), Master thesis, Condé School, Paris, 288p., 2016. publication

Girard, S. ,  A Horse Racing Game, Restoration of a 19th c. lottery game by M.J & Cie. , articles series for Memoria Technica blog section, Horology and Dynamic Objects Conservation, Seattle based, http://mechanicalcurios.com, 2013. article

CITATIONS / PRESS

Interview for Guillaume Ulmann, october 2020. video

Interview for Canal Once, september 2020. video

Interview for Maisons Paysannes de France, december 2019. article

Painter and consultant for the didactic tools of the exhibition "Figure d'Artiste" in the Louvre Museum, September 25th 2019 - June 29th 2020. video

Hebert, H., Kaye, M., moderators,"Pre-Meeting Symposium: The Current Use of Leather in Book Conservation."  in The Book and Paper Group Annual 37, 2019. article

Kelly, K., SINTEVA Cuirs: An Alternative to Current Materials for Leather Loss Infills, Ségolène Girard, It was originally based on the summary write-up from "Pre-Meeting Symposium: The Current Use of Leather in Book Conservation" which took place May 29th, 2018 in Houston, TX prior to the 46th AIC Annual Meeting, Book and Paper Group Wiki, 2019. article 

Rumsey, K., Rozeik, C., and Mathiasson, J.,  Alphonsine Magnet, Season 4 Episode 8, Christmas Special, C is for Crimbo, The C Word Podcast, december 22nd, 2018. podcast

SPECIAL SKILLS

☞ Oil paintings on paper and cardboard

☞ Objects made of paper, that are either :

         - painted and/or in three dimensions  

         - in contact with unusual components​

OTHERS SKILLS

 ☞ Emergency plan

 ☞ Exhibitions (Assessment, Framing, Mounting)

 ☞ Historical drawing and painting techniques

TREATMENT OF ORIGINAL WORKS

Some originals that came by l'Operatorium

Nicolas Cochin the Young (1715-86, French)

Edouard Manet (1832-1883, French)

Edgard Maxence (1871-1954, French)

Pierre Clerc (1919-1984, French)

Ben Vautier (1935-, French)
 

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858, Japanese)

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892, Japanese)

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528, German)

Rudolf Schlichter (1890-1955, German)

Luigi ou Ludovico Garzi (1638-1721, Italian)

Rossetti-Valentini (18-19th c, Italians)

COLLECTIONS

♢ Versailles Library

♢ Pierre Clerc (1919-1984) Workshop

♢ Patys Château, René Bazin collection

♢ Rouvre Château (Loire Valley)

♢ Champchevrier Château (Loire Valley)

♢ Royal manuscripts of Versailles palace, as an intern I participated in the first inventory and rehousing of the manuscript collection

Contact fr

Contact us !

Merci ! Message envoyé.

Administrative adress :
Ask through contact section
Workplace Adress :
Paris 14th district
Métro line 13, stop at Plaisance
Appointments only

First contact through email : 
segirard@hotmail.fr
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