Laszlo Cser began working in the field as a restorer in 1975. Restorart Inc. was incorporated in 1982 to provide conservation and restoration services for the private, public, commercial, institutional, and corporate sectors. Conservator’s Products Company (Canada) Ltd. was established in 1987 for the manufacture, supply, and distribution of high quality conservation products, specifically Gustav Berger’s Beva® 371 and related products.
In 1989, a fully equipped and climate controlled, 1800-square-foot studio facility was set up and continues to operate at this location. The Conservator’s Stretcher™ was developed and marketed in the early 1990s as a modified traditional wooden stretcher system designed with conservation attributes and made from renewable resources. Conservator’s Wax™ was formulated in the mid 1990s and has been distributed nationally and abroad since the late 1990s.
Laszlo Cser was accredited in 1994 by the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC) as a conservator specializing in paintings (resigned 2025), named in 1995 as a Professional Associate of the American Institute of Conservation (AIC), certified as a Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP) in 1997, and elected to the Fellowship of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FIIC) in 2020. He has maintained memberships since the 1980s in the Canadian Association for Conservation (CAC) and International Institute of Conservation (IIC). To promote conservation awareness, Laszlo has given numerous presentations to the profession, as well as talks and lectures to the public and interested groups.
Cailin Cser received a Master of Art Conservation from Queen’s University (2020) with a specialization in paper and photographic materials, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU) (2015). She interned at the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) and John Slavin Paper Conservation Ltd., and maintains memberships with the Canadian Association for Conservation (CAC), American Institute for Conservation (AIC), International Association of Book and Paper Conservators (IADA), and the Institute of Conservation (Icon).
Bitzy Couling joined Restorart in 2025. She specializes in the conservation and restoration of paintings. Prior to joining Restorart, she worked as a paintings conservator with ArtCare Conservation in Miami and New York City. Her work at ArtCare also included extensive experience in glue-paste canvas linings, large-scale murals, and the scientific analysis of painted artworks.
Bitzy holds a Master of Art Conservation (2019), specializing in Paintings, and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Classical Studies (2017) from Queen’s University. She completed a Painting Conservation Fellowship at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art and internships at Fraser Spafford-Ricci Art & Archival Conservation Inc. and the National Gallery of Canada. She also earned a certificate in traditional Italian painting techniques from San Gemini Preservation Studies in Italy.
Mary Ann Donohue plays an integral role in running the studio, bringing with her a professional background in the photography industry.
Dragan Jankovic has been with Restorart since 1989, and established his own Toronto-based practice in 1991. He specializes in the restoration and conservation of paintings and objects in a variety of media (oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, panel, and wall; ceramic, glass, and gilt wooden sculptures; altar sanctuaries and other architectural interiors and exteriors) from the medieval period to the present. Prior to moving to Canada, he held a private practice and worked for the Cultural Preservation Institute in Yugoslavia.
Dragan is currently on sabbatical.