Natalia Nikolayev is a professional conservator based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Member of the American Institute for Conservation
Specializing in fine art paintings as well as all masters and contemporary works of art, Natalia gained her education and expertise between N.K Rerich College of Art (4 years) and E. Repin Academy of Arts in St.Petersburg, Russia (6 years).
Post graduation furthered her knowledge base as she was hired as a painting conservator at the icon conservation lab in the State Russian Museum in St.Petersburg Russia. Here Natalia worked on restoring the museum collection (16th - 20th century religious paintings), as well as doing professional contract work for private collectors and other museums (Odigia Institute in Hague, Holland and the City Museum in Peccioli, Italy.)
These 35+ years of experience has given Natalia the expertise to repair a myriad of different restorative undertakings that encompass all mediums on all different material bases.
Currently she operates from her private studio located downtown at the Stutz Art Center, and is available for your conservation needs.
REVIEWS
“Natalia was excellent to work with on the restoration of a painting. Her work is fantastic and she communicates well throughout the process. Her work was excellent. I recommend without reservation!”
“In March, 2021, when I decided to have an 80 year old oil painting cleaned, a local frame shop worker referred me to Natalia. I took the painting to her Indy studio where she examined it, explained what needed to be done, how she would accomplish it, and estimated the expense. I entrusted the work to her and several weeks later picked up a beautifully refreshed painting! Natalia is meticulous, knowledgeable, and obviously enjoys restoring beautiful pieces of art. She is a FIND!!”
“Natalia did some kind of a miracle about restoring a seventeenth century Icon almost four hundred years old when you look at before and after pictures you won’t be able to believe your eyes.. It took her five months of microscopic work to restore it without chemical. I definitely recommend her services for any kind of restoration. She is an outstanding individual she kept abreast of her progress throughout the process and at the end she gave me a detailed list of the whole process.”
“I brought a large painting (about 3’ x 4’) by tonalist Julian Rix to Natalia for restoration. The work was about 120 years old. Painting was very dark and frame was in disrepair amongst other condition issues. Natalia brought the painting back to life! It looked incredible! I have gone to with other works as well and never been disappointed. Best art restorer in Indianapolis!”
“My wife and I brought her an heirloom painting that was damaged and dirty. We were concerned it was beyond repair, but Natalia worked her magic and restored it to its original beauty. She did a magnificent job, and we couldn’t be more pleased. It looks great and is back in our home on the wall where it has been for the past twenty-seven years looking better than ever. We extend to her our highest recommendation.
She is also an absolute delight to know; she’s truly a wonderful person and an outstanding restoration professional.”
“I highly recommend this Art Conservation business for very high quality restoration work performed on several antique paintings”
“I had a distressed painting from the 19th century. It was a beautiful piece in very poor condition. You could see through it and the frame was crumbling. Natalia restored and even uncovered lost imagery. It was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend Nikolayev Art Conservation”
“Outstanding conservation and restoration of several of my antique paintings. And very reasonably priced!”
“This is the second painting I have gotten work on. Very knowledgeable. The first was damaged in a fire and now shows no smoke damage at at. The second piece was just showing wear with paint flaking off. They look great and can’t tell where the damage even was. Very thorough.”