I hadn’t planned to become an art advisor but it was definitely a happy accident. Having completed my masters in Art History from Edinburgh University in 2004, I started my journey into the art world by working for an Old Master dealer, John Mitchell Fine Paintings based on Old Bond Street. The family team taught me everything from the importance of an antique frame to how to clean an old master (not that I’d ever attempt it now). I then moved to a Modern British gallery called Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert. James Holland-Hibbert has a fantastic reputation within the Modern British sector and being surrounded by artists such as Freud, Auerbach, Hepworth was a complete joy.
Some years later, the need for more flexible working hours prompted a move to a young contemporary gallery as their Head Curator. I often found myself advising friends on what to buy – particularly my great friends Bunny Turner & Emma Pocock (of interior design studio Turner Pocock). They gave me the push I needed to go out on my own and in 2018 I started my own advisory firm.
Primarily my role is to help clients source artworks, however, it also involves curating and refreshing their existing collection – never underestimate the power of a new frame; it can quite literally breathe new life into an old work which you may have fallen out of love with.
When it comes to buying new art, I specialise in Modern and Contemporary Art, from established artists to young, emerging ones. That is my happy place. However, after almost 20 years in the art world, I have a fantastic, trusted network of contacts that cover all the bases and enable me to search out the best works to fulfil my client’s brief.
Often my clients come to me with no real knowledge of the art world or any idea of where to begin. The art world can be an intimidating and opaque place and my role is to hold their hand and guide them in the right direction. Once I have an understanding of their brief and the art requirements, the first step is to create an initial presentation, showcasing an extremely diverse range of art, from very contemporary, conceptual pieces to works that are of a more traditional nature.
It is important for me to expose my clients to as much art as possible in these early days because how can they know what they like until they see what is out there. Based on their feedback, where what they don’t like is just as important as what they do like, we narrow it down and eventually – sometimes with a bit of compromise where a disagreeing couple is concerned – we reach a happy point!
I am lucky to work with some fantastic interior designers such as Turner Pocock, Salvesen Graham and Studio Vero who all hugely value the power and importance of art within interiors. It is often the art that brings the rooms together and showcases the client’s individual personality. Whilst I work directly with their clients, it is important for me to keep the designers in the loop as to what direction we are going with the art to ensure everyone agrees and is comfortable with the end result.
One of the best parts of the job is meeting my clients and getting to know them. They vary hugely, not just in their character and tastes but also the different style of houses they are buying or renovating. Often I will show the same piece of art to two separate clients on the same day and they will have completely contrasting reactions to it and that is the joy of it; what one person loves, another might hate. If we all liked the same thing it would be incredibly dull.
I also find great joy in helping to educate my clients. Often they come to me with very little knowledge, for example most people do not have a good understanding of what an original print is. Many people presume that prints, for example, are simple reproductions of an original painting or drawing with little involvement from the actual artist. Yet, on the contrary, printmaking is an extremely technical skill that involves a huge amount of time and effort from the artist and if required a specialist printmaker as well. It is very satisfying to see them start to gain a deeper understanding of the art and witness their tastes growing and evolving.
The most important thing as always is for the client to love the work, always buy with your heart, not your head! Having said that, it is important to understand what you are buying and who you are buying from – it will stand you in good stead to buy from galleries with an established reputation and I often advise clients to buy less but buy better. If I had to choose one gallery to take a client to it would be Lydnsey Ingram – not only is she a total delight to work with but she has a fantastic gallery program and no one puts on more beautiful exhibitions than she does!
There are no hard and fast rules to making art work with your interiors; it should be a selection of works that you love and showcase your personality. A mix of genres, mediums and sizes is ideal and rather than trying to match the art to the interiors, which I am not a fan of. I do try to ensure that the art sits comfortably within the space and doesn’t jar. The transformation that happens once the art goes up is always a great moment, it is the point where a house turns into a home.
A typical week consists of a mix of client consultations, meetings with designers to discuss their plans and schemes, putting together presentations and of course a great deal of art viewing at galleries and art fairs. It is a dynamic and varied job which I feel extremely lucky to do.
