Julian Baumgartner is an American fine art conservator and YouTube content creator based in Chicago, Illinois. He is the owner and head conservator of Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration, a second-generation art conservation studio.
Background
Julian Baumgartner is the son of Rene Agass Baumgartner, a Swiss-born art conservator who studied at the Luzerne Academy of Art and the École des Beaux-Arts. Rene Agass Baumgartner established the studio in Chicago in 1978. Julian began working alongside his father in 2000 and took full ownership and oversight of the studio following his father's death in 2011.
YouTube Channel
In 2016, Julian Baumgartner launched the YouTube channel "Baumgartner Restoration," which documents the process of restoring various artworks. The channel has gained significant popularity, amassing over 1.93 million subscribers and more than 215 million views (as of January 2026). The videos are noted for their meticulous, detailed approach to art conservation and have been described as having an ASMR-like quality. The channel has attracted media coverage from outlets such as Artnet, Hackaday, and the Chicago Reader.
Professional Approach
Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration has remained a small, boutique studio. In 2022, Baumgartner took on a conservation assistant, following the same mentorship model he experienced with his father. The studio uses traditional conservation techniques and materials, focusing on the careful restoration of paintings and other fine artworks.
Reception
While Baumgartner's YouTube content has been widely popular with general audiences, some members of the professional art conservation community have raised critiques regarding certain methods used in his restoration work, describing some approaches as heavy-handed or outdated.
