Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily MacDonald-Korth.
Emily, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Today, I am a professionally-trained painting conservator, a specialist in the scientific analysis of art and historic finishes, and Founder of two companies that innovate at the intersection of art, science, preservation, and data. The beginning of my Miami experience was in the mid-90’s when I moved here from Detroit, MI with my family.
I finished high school in Miami and then went to college at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY where I studied fine art and received a BFA. At Pratt, I learned about the field of art conservation in a museology course and it resonated with me like no “job” ever had; prior to that I never thought of a career other than being a professional artist. Art conservation is the unique union of studio arts, science, and art history; it is an extremely specialized field that requires hundreds of hours of internship experience and a heavy load of prerequisites before one can even apply to a graduate program. There are only three graduate programs for conservation of fine arts in the United States, and each school takes just ten students per year; it is very competitive.
I worked in NYC for several years as a studio assistant for a few leading artists, started my first little company doing furniture refinishing, even had a stint as a statue painter for churches, went back to school to get chemistry prerequisites completed in order to apply to graduate school for art conservation, and after a couple years of trying I got a series of art conservation internships at incredible places such the Barnes Foundation and the Chrysler Museum.
After 11 years living in Brooklyn, while also traveling to work at museums and collections around the country, I moved to Delaware to attend the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, where I majored in conservation of paintings and received a Master of Science in Art Conservation. During that time, I took part in a collaboration with Tsinghua University in Beijing to carry out scientific research of 12th-century Buddhist murals in China, including those at the Forbidden City.
After graduate school, I started working at the Getty Conservation Institute, in Los Angeles, where I helped lead projects such as the conservation of and research into Roman wall paintings at the archaeological site of Herculaneum, David Alfaro Siqueiros’s monumental mural, America Tropical, and the historic Eames House.
The next phase of my career has been all entrepreneurial. I founded a company, Longevity Art Preservation, that specializes in conservation and analysis of fine art and historic finishes. In terms of conservation, I primarily focus on treatment of paintings, murals, and painted surfaces. My company has been hired to analyze paintings by masters such as de Kooning, Picasso, and Rauschenberg toward authentication.
I created and founded Art Preservation Index®, the stability rating system for fine art, and an art-data startup. A patent-pending invention, APIx is the first of its kind and was designed to standardize the measurement of stability risks of blue-chip paintings and other types of artwork that may deteriorate over time – it is like Standard & Poor’s for artworks.
My newest project, a collaboration with the computer science department at a major university, is a recommender system for pricing of fine art. Driven by sentiment analysis and honed by machine learning, the system aims to be the fastest, easiest, and most accurate appraisal tool on the market.
Recently I was asked to come back to my graduate program to teach polarized light microscopy, an analytical technique used to identify pigments and fibers, and that was not only fun because I love teaching, but such an honor to know I have special knowledge and skills that are useful to the next generation of art conservators.
I am lucky to have been the recipient of several grants and awards, widely published, a prolific public speaker, and featured in numerous media outlets such as the BBC, The Atlantic, and Smithsonian Magazine.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Sometimes the road was smooth and other times it was so bumpy I could’ve been toppled over. I just kept working toward my goals even in the moments that it felt impossible. The little successes help replenish self-confidence in my ability to reach the big goals.
Please tell us about Longevity Art Preservation LLC.
My company, Longevity Art Preservation, specializes in forensic analysis and conservation of fine art. I work on scientific analysis of art materials, treatment of paintings, and historic paint analysis of architecture. For example, I recently carried out a climate study for an exterior Damien Hirst sculpture; I identified the color history of the interior paint in a Frank Lloyd Wright’s house and carried out the conservation treatment of a Frida Kahlo self-portrait. I have been hired to analyze paintings by Barnett Newman, Sam Francis, Murillo, and many others. Longevity Art Preservation offers something no one else does, a full-service conservation and analysis laboratory. My company works with collectors, artist foundations, auction houses, and major conservators in Miami and around the globe.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Some decisions can be made quickly while others need time. I would have always taken the time to make sure I am moving in the proper direction and at the right place.
I would have made sure to always go with my gut. Advice from other experienced professionals is important, but if it doesn’t feel right inside then it is the wrong advice for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: ArtLongevity.com
- Phone: 9176841065
- Email: emilymk@artlongevity.com
Image Credit:
Rosa Lowinger & Associates; C. Finley
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