Presentation
Aurélia Chevalier holds a PhD in conservation-restoration and specializes in Old Master, modern and contemporary works of art. Based in Geneva, she works with collectors, museums, foundations and art market professionals in Switzerland and internationally, both in the studio and on site.
She is a member of the SKR/SCR (Swiss Association for Conservation and Restoration).
Restoration & conservation of paintings
Since 2003, Aurélia Chevalier has worked as a fine art conservator-restorer, specializing in the conservation and restoration of Old Master, modern and contemporary works of art. She works for public and private institutions in Switzerland and internationally, both in the studio and on site.
Her practice also includes work for the Musées de France, national museums—notably the restoration of the collections of the Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art (DABCO), the ninth department of the musée du Louvre—as well as for regional cultural authorities (DRAC), municipalities (museums and religious buildings), and foundations, artists’ committees, artists and private collections.
Areas of specialization:
-
Modern and contemporary works
Aurélia Chevalier works on 20th- and 21st-century paintings, including works related to Impressionism, Surrealism and the École de Paris. She has a specific expertise in modern materials, which are often complex and unstable and therefore require adapted conservation and restoration protocols.
-
Old Masters paintings
Her field of intervention also extends to Old Master paintings, from the 14th to the 19th century, across a wide range of supports and techniques, in accordance with the ethical principles of conservation-restoration.
Research, Teaching
& Knowledge Transmission
Holding a PhD in conservation-restoration, Aurélia Chevalier has developed, for over twenty years, an activity in applied research and knowledge transmission in the field of painting conservation-restoration.
Between 2010 and 2021, she took part in several national and European research programs dedicated to laser technologies and nanomaterials for the conservation of works of art, including NanoRestArt (Horizon 2020), NanoForArt and LASCLEAN, in collaboration with European laboratories and universities.
Her teaching activities have taken place over different periods at the Institut National du Patrimoine (INP), Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (2011–2015), the University of Bologna, as well as within the framework of the International MOMART School in Verona.
She has also provided supervision of Master’s theses and research projects, as well as co-supervision of doctoral research, at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs (ENSAD), the École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, and University College London (UCL).
Institutional Responsibilities, Expertise
& Professional Networks
Responsibilities and committees
-
Since 2025 : Member of the Scientific Committee of the Serge Charchoune legacy.
-
2015–2021: Member of the Regional Scientific Commission for Museum Collections of the Musées de France, responsible for matters relating to restoration and preventive conservation (Occitanie Region).
-
2013–2016: Member of the Commission for the Support of Research and Study in the Restoration and Conservation of Contemporary Artworks – CNAP (Centre National des Arts Plastiques).
-
Member of the Scientific Council of the CICRP (Centre Interrégional de Conservation et de Restauration du Patrimoine, Marseille).
-
Member of the Institut Art et Droit, working group “Law and Restoration”.
Scientific expertise and coordination
-
General Rapporteur for the preparatory work of the working group “The Restoration of Works of Art and the Law”, which led to the conference held on 9 April 2018 at the INHA (Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art), Paris.
-
Scientific expertise within research and innovation programs in the field of conservation-restoration.
Professional networks and associations
-
ICOM – International Council of Museums
INCCA – International Network for the Conservation of Contemporary Art
SFIIC – French Section of the International Institute for Conservation
SKR/SCR – Swiss Association for Conservation and Restoration
Art Law Foundation – Art et Droit -
Sociétés des Amis: Fondation Dubuffet; Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris – Swiss Committee; Centre d’art contemporain de Genève.
education, career and awards
Education and qualifications
-
2010 – PhD in Conservation-Restoration Sciences, Arts et Métiers ParisTech (LCPI)
Doctoral thesis: Designing application protocols for laser technologies and nanogels in the conservation and restoration of canvas paintings
-
2003 – Master’s Degree, Institut national du patrimoine (INP), Department of Conservators, Painting Section
Master’s thesis: Study, restoration and conservation of a work by Jean Fautrier -
2003 – Master’s Degree in Art History, Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
History of canvas support restoration in the 20th century
Research grants and support
-
2008–2009 – Research Grant, Fondation Carnot
-
CNAP – FIACRE Research Grants (2004–2005; 2008–2009)
-
Technical and scientific studies on works by Simon Hantaï
Canvas mounting and hanging, in dialogue with the artist
Awards
-
2012 – European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award
-
Pierre Bézier PhD Award, Arts et Métiers ParisTech
