FRAMEWORK CONTRACT – CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION WORK ON A GROUP OF PAINTINGS ON CANVAS – 2026

Conservation and restoration treatment of 7 paintings by Demanet and Speekaert, dating from the late 19th century.

Rediscovering the painters Léopold Speekaert (1834–1915) and Mathilde Demanet (1846–1914).

The two artists shared both their lives and their studio, and later bequeathed their entire collection to the municipality of Saint-Gilles. Léopold Speekaert was involved in avant-garde artistic circles, where he encountered Gustave Courbet, among others. His painting is realist in character while imbued with a sense of poetry.

Mathilde Demanet was far more than an artist’s wife and a painter of still lifes: she trained with some of the leading artists of her time. Her painting is lively and sketch-like. Her portraits, marked by remarkable psychological depth, invite us to rediscover both her work and the artistic collaboration between the two painters.

The highlights of this collection were restored in my studio and exhibited at the Saint-Gilles Town Hall during the Parcours d’Artistes 2026.

Treatments carried out: cleaning of the paint layer, consolidation of lifting paint, removal of old varnish layers, repair of tears, filling of losses, retouching, and application of new varnish layers.
Head of studio:: Emilie Desbarax

Event

Participation and live demonstration during the Parcours d’Artistes 2026 – Europe Hall, Saint-Gilles Town Hall

A restoration studio was set up in the Europe Hall, presenting previously restored works alongside others still undergoing treatment, with a live demonstration of paint-layer cleaning.

Particular attention was given to paintings by Léopold Speekaert (1834–1915) and Mathilde Demanet (1846–1914). Works by these artists represent a very significant part of the municipal collection of Saint-Gilles, comprising a total of 287 paintings and drawings. The two artists bequeathed their entire collection to the municipality.

The municipality is currently undertaking a major collection conservation project aimed at preserving, restoring and promoting this collection. This edition of the Parcours d’Artistes provided an opportunity to present the ongoing project to the public.

Exhibition and texts: Soazig Maliet, Heritage Project Officer at the municipality of Saint-Gilles.

Awarded a grant to complete a one-year internship — 2023–2024 — at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp — KMSKA — as a painting conservator-restorer.

Project carried out with the support of the Sofina Boël Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation.

Restoration of the painting “Roman Landscape” by Karel Dujardin — 1675, oil on canvas, 85 × 107.5 cm.
Conservation treatment of the work “The Walk” by Roger Raveel — 1964, 202.5 × 299 × 9 cm — for the permanent exhibition in the museum’s modern art section.

ROYAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP

Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerpen, Belgium

Workshop manager Gwen Borms

ALTRITEMPI-MONUMENT GROUP

Conservation and restoration company specialising in historical monuments, Flanders, Belgium

Restoration of the interior of the “Egmont Palace or Arenberg Palace, Petit or Grand Hôtel d’Egmont”, dating from 1532 — Brussels. Restoration of a canvas painting mounted on the ceiling of the Louis XIV salon. Cleaning, varnish removal, filling losses and retouching.

Participation in the restoration of the interior of the Hap House — Etterbeek — built in 1859 for François-Louis Hap and transformed in 1905 by architect G. Thoelen at the request of Félix Hap, mayor of Etterbeek. Restoration of Art Nouveau-inspired canvas paintings mounted on the dining room ceiling. Cleaning, varnish removal, filling losses and retouching.

Restoration of large-format paintings and wall paintings in the Beguinage Church of Mechelen, dating from the 17th century. Consolidation, surface cleaning / varnish removal of the paintings, and retouching.

Restoration of the interior of the parish church of Korbeek-Lo. Retouching of faux-wood doors, consolidation, cleaning, filling losses and retouching of the lower part of the altar, exposure, filling losses and retouching of wall decorations.

Restoration of the Hall of Mirrors of the Brussels Parliament. Retouching of the gilding on the pilasters and repairs to the bases in preparation for gilding.

Restoration of the Gothic interior of “The House of the Free Boatmen” in Ghent. Consolidation of wall paintings, cleaning, varnish removal and retouching.

Saint Germanus Church in Tienen: restoration of the Neo-Gothic interior. Retouching of stencils and wall decorations.

“Het Predikheren” in Mechelen: fixing of the paint layer on the walls, consolidation of plasterwork and retouching.

Scalpel removal of overpaint from a faux-wood decoration on a door.

Restoration of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in London, Ontario, Canada. Mid-19th century.

Public art restoration in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.

Art restoration in the studio: paintings, frames and sculptures.

Alicia couts Toronto Art Restoration inc (TARI)

Among the best-known artists whose works have passed through the studio

Artists :

Louis de Caullery (1580–1621, Belgium), Luigi Crespi (1708–1779, Italy), Jac Martin-Ferrières (1893–1972, France), Jean Capdeville (1917–2011, France), Bela Hoese (19th century), Villeneuve (19th century, France), Léopold Leysen, known as Pol Mara (1920–1998, Belgium), Frederick S. Challener (1869–1959, Canada), Vincent De Grandi (1916–2010, Switzerland), Mariette (1930–2008), Franz Courtens (1850-1943), Jan Frans Van Daele (1764 -1840), Fernand Toussaint (1873-1955), Henri Biva (1848-1929), Léopold Speekaert (1834-1915) et Mathilde Demanet (1846-1914), Pierre Paulus (1881-1959) , Jean Blaise Villemsens (1806-1859), Charles Lapicque (1898-1988), David Teniers, the Elder (born 1582, Antwerp—died July 29, 1649, Antwerp), Adriaen Brouwer (1606-1636), Peter BÜCKEN (1831-1915), David Kirman (1985-…), Oswald Achenbach (1827-1905), François Bossuet (1798 – 1889), François Halkett (1856-1921), Jacques Monory 1924-2018, Charles Philogene Tschaggeny (1815-1894), Constant Montald (1862-1944), Paul Hermanus (1859-1911), Henri De Saedeleer (1901-1991).

Listed buildings:

Egmont Palace — Brussels, Belgium
Hap House — Etterbeek, Belgium
Beguinage Church — Mechelen, Belgium
Brussels Parliament – Hall of Mirrors — Brussels, Belgium
The House of the Free Boatmen — Ghent, Belgium
Gothic Saint Germanus Church — Tienen, Belgium