Gloria Velandia Ludmer
Gloria's private practice was established in Miami in 1989 when she became involved with important Latin American and Contemporary collections in the U.S. After several years practicing in Paris, she re-located her conservation studio to New York City in 2005.
Gloria collaborated to create the Art Basel Conservation Department and services for other International art fairs and continues since 2002 to serve as the Preferred Conservator of Art Basel Miami Beach. She is also a guest lecturer at venues such as Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips, Appraisers Association of America, art fairs worldwide and an advisor for numerous renowned contemporary artists and collections.
Colombian born, and a former French resident, Gloria is able to converse with clients in English, Spanish, and French.
Gloria earned her Master in Conservation and Science and Bachelor in Fine Arts from the School of San Fernando, Spain, 1986. She studied Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Master in Chemistry for Conservation from Tufts University, 1992. She continues her learning via courses and professional seminars to stay on top of the latest technologies and trends in conservation.
Member: AIC- American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Associate Member since 1993; IIC – International Institute for Conservation
Founder, Chief Conservator
Steve joined GV Art Conservation in 2012 – just in time for Super Storm Sandy – and is responsible for running the operations of the company. He collaborates with clients and staff conservators, to ensure a positive result for both the client and artwork.
In his free time, Steve serves as an advisor to several small businesses in the arts.
Before joining, Steve co-led the marketing efforts for a start-up mutual fund company, helping it grow to +$1B in assets over a four-year period. Other experiences include co-founding and selling a Small Business Outsourcing company with operations in India and the Philippines, planning and executing a successful turn-around effort for a multi-state service business and five years as a consultant with The Monitor Group, a global management strategy consulting organization. Steve is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School with concentrations in Management, Marketing, and Information Systems.
Steve Ludmer
President
Jitka Kyrian
Senior Conservator
Jitka studied conservation at the Chair For Restoration, Art-Technology and Conservation-Science at the Technical University of Munich, (Germany). After 5 years of studies, she graduated in 2005 with the title Diploma Conservator University.
With the specialization in paintings, sculptures and objects she worked in private conservation studios and institutions in Germany, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Canada, amongst others at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum/Museum Ludwig (Cologne/Germany), the Bavarian Institute For The Preservation Of Historic Monuments (Munich/Germany), the Conservation Institute Ludbreg (Croatia), the Vancouver Museum (British Columbia) and the National Gallery of Prague (Czech Republic).
From 2008 to 2015 she worked in the Museum Five Continents Munich, which houses one of the biggest collections of ethnological art and objects worldwide. During her last 2.5 years at the Museum Five Continents, she worked in a granted research, conservation and restoration project on oversized Thai temple paintings.
Dímitra Pantoulia
Associate Conservator
Dimitra joined GVAC full time in 2023 after collaborating with the studio for several years. She received her degree in Conservation of Antiquities & Works of Art from the Technical Institute, Peristerion, Greece in 2009. After graduating, Dimitra worked for major institutions such as the Library of the Hellenic Parliament, the Byzantine Museum, and the Directorate of Conservation of Ancient and Modern Monuments. Her institutional experience included conservation treatment and collection management of inorganic and organic materials. In 2014, she moved to South Florida to work in private practice. During this period, she collaborated with museums and collections throughout Florida, including The Dali Museum, The Ringling Museum of Art, the Norton Museum, the Rubell Collection, the Bass Museum, and numerous private collections and galleries. Member: AIC- American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Associate Member since 2015; American Alliance of Museums (AAM), Member since 2020.
Nina Engel
Associate Conservator, Europe
Nina holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in conservation from Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. She received her MA in the conservation of paintings and sculptures in 2011 with the master thesis “Evaluation of Inpainting Medium for Acrylic Emulsion Paint”. Nina worked as a conservator for a variety of private conservation studios in Switzerland and New York City as well as different institutions including the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Museum of Fine Arts Bern, the KKL Lucerne in Switzerland and the Glasgow Museums Resource Center in Scotland. She has taught conservation students on the subject of filling, inpainting and airbrushing as a co-teacher for the NYU Conservation Center in New York. Nina worked full-time in GVAC’s NYC studio from 2016 - 2020, at which time she relocated to Switzerland where she continues to support GVAC clients in Europe. Nina is specialized in the conservation of modern and contemporary paintings and has published a number of papers on that subject.
Walter received his BFA in Printmaking from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2008. Shortly thereafter he worked as a printer at an antique letterpress studio in Knoxville. After moving to New York he worked for several years as a sign painter/muralist before moving to Phillips auction house, where he worked for 2 years as registrar and property manager. He has a background in construction and is a woodworking hobbyist. Walter joined GV Art Conservation in October of 2015.
Walter Egan
Studio Manager
Matt joined GV Art Conservation in late 2022, following 15 years at Bark Frameworks where he specialized in hinging and object mount-making. He brings extensive experience handling high-value artworks to his role as Preparator and Conservation Technician, documenting and maintaining the safety of artwork while at the studio and before it travels from the studio, maintaining archival standards, and assisting the Conservation team. Matt maintains an active art practice, exhibiting work across the country as well as internationally, and holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in Denver, Colorado.