Meet Ron Barbagallo

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ron Barbagallo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ron, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
The biggest misconception about the industries I work in is how cutthroat and caddy it is. On the surface, it portends to be a group of happy caring gnomes collecting and mending artifacts. And it can be the case for maybe the top 10% of the industry. But under that strata lies quite a lot of people who took jobs where their political skills were greater than their tactile skills. Suppose you look at studios, institutes, associations, and museums, many times you will find that self-preservation and asking others how to do their job is more important than finding ways to work with people whose experience is greater than yours.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a big fan of studying the life stories and the artist roads accomplished artists and musicians have traveled. They have been for me spirit guides. This includes David Bowie from whom I learned that you are always better professionally by including leaders in the field in your work efforts. From Frank Lloyd Wright, I learned that tragedy is a hard fork in the road in one’s career. It changes your life. It changes your career, and your contemporaries will take every opportunity to put you down when you are down. So maintaining yourself artistically and having a long-range plan is important.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We are headed to The Griddle Cafe on Sunset for an indulgent American breakfast. We are driving to Point Dume in Malibu where I will show you where they filmed the end shot of “Planet of the Apes” (1968). Because I am fully Italian, we are having dinner at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Hollywood and if he is there, we get to talk to Francesco the owner. If the ArcLight Hollywood were open, we are certain seeing a movie there. I will drive you around town to see famous spots like where Charlie Chaplin’s studio was, or the Warner Bros. Studio is, etc. And we might go to the Farmer’s Market/The Grove because that is a place of community and communion for people in LA. It’s nearly unique in that regard.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are a number of private collectors big and small but I prefer to keep them anonymous and for good reason. It’s hard to explain but almost every day I am strongarmed by some stranger in a related field looking for something that no one offered them. At the very beginning of my career, sure, it was hard to remain optimistic about where I was professionally. Then, one day a box of art arrived from Hanna-Barbera by way of an acquisition handled by preservation hero Roger Mayer. That opportunity was the first in a string of people who had work they needed to be done and wanted it done right. There was no micromanaging. No jealous. No sleights of hand. This list of people includes Roy E. Disney who remained an almost paternal figure in my life when others where he worked would do one wild thing or another to me. So in the beginning, Roger Mayer, Joe Barbera, and Roy E. Disney were key to getting me up and off the ground.

Website: https://www.animationartconservation.com/index.html

Instagram: barbagalloron

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ron-barbagallo-6139748

Other: I have a Facebook page but it’s not really for the public. There is a Facebook group page but I don’t service it that much. LinkedIn is the most button-downed version of me. My private Facebook page has a lot of family and a good number of twins who like me have lost their twins so the topics on that page are personal. Those issues and my day-to-day and my heritage are on display for people who, as I like to say, have shared a meal with me.

Image Credits
All images of the before and afters of art from the Research Library at Animation Art Conservation © by Ron Barbagallo. The photograph at USC holding the long pan background is by Sandra Aguilar (I think). The photo of me at the table is by Marco Bellano. The photo of me is a selfie I took.