Over the course of his career, Levon Tokatlyn, a Belmont-based art conservator, has restored ancient paintings and frames for institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Harvard Art Museums, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Art restoration is a process involving the use of a mixture of specific chemicals to remove the old varnish from paintings, followed by repainting damaged areas.
For Tokatlyn, it’s an 18th-century painting that stands out to him as one of his most memorable restoration projects.
As he started cleaning the corner of a dark, marine scene of four people in a boat, he noticed the canvas turning from black to a light beige.
Tokatlyn realized it was not a nighttime scene after all.
“At the end, it became a daytime painting,” he recalled.
A New Beginning
Tokatlyn grew up in Armenia and began painting at age 15 after visiting the art studios of some of his peers.
“I kind of liked that atmosphere—that bohemian atmosphere,” he said.
For 10 years, he followed his artistic spark, studying fine art in Armenia. Then, in 1991, Tokatlyn immigrated to the United States to join his family in Boston.
“It was tough,” he said. “I had to do all kinds of jobs.”
Tokatlyn worked in food delivery to support his family while exploring the field of art restoration.
After reading numerous books on the topic, buying art, and practicing restoration techniques, Tokatlyn earned notice from local collectors for his prowess.
“A couple of people noticed me, and they said, ‘Oh my god, you’re doing great … I have one painting–let me bring it,’” he said.
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Word spread about Tokatlyn’s gift as a restorer, sparking his long-standing career in reviving old paintings and frames.
The Process
When Tokatlyn receives a new restoration project, he doesn’t always get started right away; rather, he takes the time to thoroughly examine the painting and assess the most effective restoration techniques for the job.
Then, he conducts a test to determine which types of chemicals to use to remove the layer of old varnish.
“[With] these contemporary paintings or anything, you don’t know what they used—[there are] a million materials, a million paint qualities, [and] different varnishes,” Tokatlyn said.
Part of the challenge of art restoration is mimicking the painting style of the original artist, he added.
“Every single piece is different,” he said.
Yet, it’s the classic Renaissance art period that Tokatlyn finds to be one of the most stunning; he described the craftsmanship from this period as “unbelievable.”
“They’re really masters,” he added.
Growing the Business
Tokatlyn opened his gallery, Renaissance Frame Gallery, in 2010 in Belmont. Today, he restores paintings, frames, and other art objects.
“I appreciate all my clients,” he said. “We can be friends by the time they come with some artwork or installation, with a bottle of wine—I feel that is my studio atmosphere.”
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokatlyn also temporarily closed his Renaissance Frame Gallery and returned to his passion for creating large-scale, original paintings.
He created 10 paintings for an exhibition during this time.
“I had never had this much freedom,” he said.
People who attended his show were surprised that the paintings had no price tags on them.
Tokatlyn, who had become enamored with the pieces, decided not to sell them.
“For every artist, every single piece is just [a] touchable memory [for] them,” he said.
Tokatlyn dreams of continuing to run his business as long as he is healthy and able.
More information on Renaissance Frame Gallery can be found at http://www.renframegallery.com.
