About Us

The studio is a partnership owned and operated by John Powell and Amy Sokoloff who, together, bring over 50 years of experience in the field. John and Amy met while students at Tyler School of Art, and both spent a transformative year abroad at Tyler’s Rome campus. They apprenticed at, and ultimately co-managed, a highly regarded restoration studio on New York’s Upper East Side for 10 years. In 2004, John and Amy established Chelsea Restoration Associates on West 37th Street, a few blocks North of the Chelsea arts district. In 2019, Chelsea Restoration relocated to the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx and expanded the studio. Proficient in all aspects of painting restoration, John and Amy personally execute all treatments along with a small staff of highly trained assistants. Chelsea Restoration is a widely recognized and respected restoration studio in New York and throughout the country. For the past 19 years Chelsea Restoration has provided excellent and valuable service to art dealers, private collectors, institutions, auction houses, galleries, corporations, insurance companies and many others with a love of paintings. During their partnership John and Amy have treated as many as 10,000 paintings from Old Master to Contemporary. The chief goal of each project is to remain true to the artist’s vision while preserving the work and ensuring it is presented as closely as possible to its original state. Each work receives a specific treatment which is safe and aesthetically appropriate to the style and materials used. All restoration materials used are chosen for maximum reversibility ensuring that no intervention is permanent.