Tell us about yourself. How did you get into the field of conservation and restoration of classic African art?

My mother, Annette Deletaille, was a painter and the descendant of many generations of Dutch artists (Willem & Albert Roelofs). In addition, my uncle, Émile Deletaille, owned an antiques and art gallery in the ‘60s, he was an expert in Pre-Columbian and African art. My parents were also close friends with preservation theorist Professor Paul Philippot. We were always surrounded by art and antiques.

As a child, I first discovered African art at the Royal Museum for Central Africa, in Tervuren, Belgium. I used to also visit my uncle’s gallery regularly and I had the opportunity to handle exceptional pieces of African and Pre-Columbian art. I immediately felt very attracted to these works of art.

The second time my interest in African art grew was after a trip to Africa. I travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Algeria, and then to Mali with my mother in 1972-1973. This trip, I believe, started my career as a restorer of classic African art because in Mali, we bought our first Djenné terracotta figure. I believe that this was actually the first terracotta bought in Mali, even before all the Belgian dealers. Djenné pieces were not yet on the market at that time.

What experience have you had in restorations?

After that trip to Africa, between 1978 and 1986 I worked as an assistant and restorer at my uncle’s gallery in Brussels. I learned so much from him. He had amazing masterpieces from Africa, Indonesia and the Americas. Having access to his archeological material was such a great way to learn.

After working for my uncle for about nine years, I became an independent restorer, restoring and preserving objects for many great art dealers from all over the world. I have had the privilege to work for some of the greatest collectors of ancient art. They have given me their most beautiful and precious objects with the utmost confidence. Same thing with some the big museums such as Musée du Quai Branly, Musée du Louvre, and Musée Dapper in Paris, and University of Notre-Dame in the United States.

What is your field of expertise?

In the beginning it was just terracotta and earthenware objects. But soon after, I started handling, restoring and preserving stone, bronze, ivory and even wooden pieces. Our cooperative of young restorers now cover all fields and materials—we work together, learn together, and collaborate with each other to restore the most amazing pieces of African art.

I think this collaboration is so important in our field because individual restorers have done a lot of damage to historical pieces due to a lack of knowledge. The history of restoration is full of obsolete practices and techniques. Some of them have sometimes damaged pieces: excessive extrications (clearing/brushing off the surface), fantasist reconstitutions, mastic (putty) modifications using the wrong products to cover up the material of origin. Irreversible materials have been used, materials that degrade the original matter, the list is endless. Sometimes these past inadequate restoration are now part of the work’s history and we ought to take that into account, whether we like it or not. Nowadays, restorers are mostly focusing on finding solutions to rectify the errors from the past. By collaborating, we can avoid these detrimental mistakes and continue to save important pieces.

Can you discuss a few of the major high profile pieces you've restored?

There are countless objects that I have worked on that I really love and therefore feel connected to forever (almost like old friends). A bond was created between us through the restoration.

Notably the Ifé head that is on display at the Louvre, the tall scrawny Djenné man which is shown at the Museum of Bamako in Mali, and the sublime Lega mask that belongs to a private collection to which my mind often goes to. It might sound funny but I often wish I could ask them “how are you, old friends?”, there has been so many amazing sculptures. I realise today how incredibly lucky and privileged I am to have had the opportunity to live closely to so many works of art of that quality and historical intensity.

There are other objects that I unfortunately cannot speak to because the clients do not want it known that these pieces have been restored. I think that is a mistake. In the future, all important pieces will be studied or will be in museums and at that point, all will be known.