Who's New at Lowy

Allen Webb: Head Carver
Allen S. Webb, a native of London, England, joined Lowy in 1998 after a remarkable career in Europe. With the lukewarm approval of his Mum he left school at age sixteen to become an apprentice woodcarver for Arnold Wiggins and Sons, working directly under the master for this elite frame carving company that holds royal warrants. Webb credits Wiggins as a constant inspiration and says, "I consider myself fortunate to have witnessed the results of a lifetime dedication to the art of carving." With that training under his belt, Webb worked for several other carving shops and indulged his passion for restoring Georgian houses.
Returning to frames again in 1987, he worked with Paul Levi, a "lifelong devotee of picture frame ornament, whose esthetic insight and philosophy" strongly influenced Webb's development. As Levi prepared to retire, Webb realized it was time to strike out on his own. He set up a successful carving and gilding shop, but after three years was lured away to be Head Carver at Wiggins.
After nearly half a decade back at Wiggins, he yearned to see the world. New York beckoned, and through luck and mutual admiration, Webb and Lowy found each other. The ex-pat has few regrets about leaving his homeland. "Who would have thought the trade of woodcarving would offer the opportunity to live a new life across the Atlantic?" Mum must be proud.

Yi Yi "Mickey" Chang: Antique Frame Conservator & Gilder
Anyone who knows Mickey Chang remembers his infectious smile and deft hands. But like gold leaf on an antique frame, that's just the surface on a complicated, richly detailed story. Born in 1941 in Shanghai, China, Mickey's father was in charge of authenticating antique paintings for the Chinese Cultural Ministry. Preparing to follow in his father's footsteps, Chang received a degree in Chemical Engineering, and in 1964 got his dream job- only to have it brutally taken away. As an associate in the National Conservation Science and Technology Research Laboratory in Beijing, Mickey conserved 2,000 year old lacquer, restored a Han dynasty (100 B.C) carriage and participated in groundbreaking Chinese archaeological expeditions. But all this came to an abrupt halt in 1969 during the Cultural Revolution, when he was forced onto a communal farm. Fortunately, in 1972 Mickey returned to the Conservation Research Laboratory, where he helped build a radio carbon dating lab that is now recognized as one of the best in China.
But that's just the first phase of an extraordinary career. In 1979 Mickey visited an uncle in the United States, who helped him stay and sent him to Columbia University to learn English. He then came to Lowy as a wood conservator and finisher and is today Lowy's premier gilder and restorer of antique frames. Mickey's work now hangs in nearly every important museum and private collection in America, but perhaps even more importantly, his inimitable smile and innate grace touch the heart of all who know him.

Marie Bruno
Marie Bruno began her career as a conservator in Italy. While studying Art History in Rome, she began apprenticing as a conservator in the Umbrian countryside, restoring public works for the Italian Ministry of Art. She returned to Rome to train as a painting conservator at L'Istituto Italiano Arte Artigianato Restauro under Bruno Barrati, a chief conservator at the Vatican Museum. "Climbing the scaffolding to view masterpieces and discussing their treatment along with the expert researchers was the highlight of my study in Rome," she remarked.
Marie worked as a painting conservator for various contemporary galleries and collectors in New York before joining Lowy in 1999. "Having owned a gallery in SoHo that focused on emerging artists," Marie explains, "I particularly love restoring contemporary art."
Along with creating a research library at Lowy, Bruno continues to investigate treatment approaches and looks forward to a challenging project that she- and Lowy- have agreed to undertake: the conversation of a mixed medium painting on paper called "The Angel of the Sun" by John La Farge that belongs to the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences. The work was commissioned in 1899 to be installed in the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, and will need extensive conversation. "It could take as much as a year," she says enthusiastically, "but it is gratifying to know that I am contributing to the continued existence of a piece of history."