Julia Nagle ACR
About Me
Having gained experience in public institutions and the commercial Art world, my aim is to bridge the gap between the two. Since qualifying in 1993, I have worked at Tate, English Heritage and University College London, and spent ten years at the Hamilton Kerr Institute, Cambridge University. In 2009 I opened my own studio, which is now internationally recognised for its expertise in modern and contemporary conservation. Having moved to a larger, secure and fully-equipped London space in 2016, my team and I are well-placed to provide museum-style conservation services to private collectors, public institutions, artists, and commercial galleries, being able to accommodate large artworks, carrying out complex treatments with an emphasis on minimal intervention and preventive care, producing detailed and objective condition reports for clients at home and abroad, and advising on loans, transport, sales, and purchases. We also courier art to international exhibitions when on loan.
I gained professional accreditation through ICON in 2006 and have been an assessor for the Professional Accreditation of Conservation Professionals across all disciplines since 2009. I was elected a Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic works in 2018. While remaining conscious of the need for client confidentiality, I write articles and present papers wherever possible to disseminate knowledge and keep my own practice up to date. Most recently my studio presented at 'Future Talks' in Munich, 2019. In 2016, in collaboration with sculpture conservator Lyndsey Morgan, I presented a paper on conserving a contemporary lacquered screen at the IIC Congress in Los Angeles, ‘Saving the Now: Crossing Boundaries to Conserve Contemporary Works’.
Client Testimonials
Julia restored two Vilhelm Hammershøi paintings for me over the last few years. Her attention to detail, respect for the underlying work’s history and reassuring advice on the advantages of various treatment options made what could’ve been a nerve-wracking experience utterly composed. Best of all, the results were stunning. She and her team are just simply that good.
Private collector,
London, UKJulia Nagle first began work at the Serpentine Gallery on an exhibition of paintings by Ellsworth Kelly in 2006. Since then she has become the paintings conservator of choice. During this period she has worked on exhibitions at the Serpentine by Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, and Alex Katz amongst others. More recent exhibitions where she has been closely involved include Tomma Abts, Luchita Hurtado, Faith Ringgold, and Albert Oehlen. The primary focus of her work has been to examine the artworks on their arrival at the gallery and before their departure. In addition to this, we have also relied on her conservation skills to deal with inherent problems with some works restoring paintings to their original condition. She is a highly skilled practitioner, very thorough, measured and considered in her approach to dealing with problems. She has been incredibly good at responding rapidly to requests for her services at short notice. Since we first started working with her, she has developed her studio-based practice and has assembled a team who share the same set of high standards. Finally, it is always a great pleasure to work with her and I plan to continue doing so for many years.
Mike Gaughan
Gallery Manager Serpentine GalleriesIt has been our ongoing privilege to work with Julia and the team at Julia Nagle Conservation Limited. As we are physically distanced from UK based collections activities, we rely on her professional advice, detailed documentation and hands-on service – including condition reporting, movement management and pre-transit treatments – to assist us in crucial decision-making through to final delivery. This is always done in a highly professional, generous and timely manner.
