Working with My Sister

María Teresa Dávila Álvarez, Restorer, 1982-2013

Rocío and I have worked very well together because we have the same criteria and tackle the restoration process in the same way, based on the sensibility, delicate touch and care that is required to do what we do. I am highly detailed and slower, and my sister is more creative and more rapid. When we’ve worked together on a painting we’ve had our tough times. Due to differences of opinion, there have been times when we’ve argued, we’ve stopped working and we’ve gone two or three days without talking to each other. But you have to finish the job. If you’re intelligent and professional, even though there have been days when we haven’t spoken to each other, the moment always comes when you have to put things in their place again. And given that we agree on the basics, the criteria we should follow and the way of doing things, we come to an agreement. We start talking again in order to go a step further or to have a step less in the restoration process. That is possible because my sister and I have trust and confidence in each other. With these important works, if I hadn’t had this knowledge of the person in question and this way of coming to an agreement with her, I don’t think I would have been able to do it.
With Herlinda Cabrero the same thing also occurs. She is someone who has a similar way of looking at things as me when it comes to restoration. I can work with other restorers too with whom I haven’t worked before, but only if I see there is a sense of affinity between us. But if we don’t have that affinity it’s impossible. For example, when we retouched Las Meninas we worked with Clara Quintanilla. There was an affinity in the way we looked at things.