Art to Love a Lifetime

“One has to be a little eccentric to want to raise their family in New York City as life can flash before your eyes before your morning cup of coffee. New York City is the land of everything and nothing with people reaching for their dreams and ending a chapter all simultaneously. The city is imperfect in so many ways that it radiates beauty, meaning, and flawlessness every morning. New York City will probably expose you to everything in time, but on your first day here, I can guarantee you that you will come in contact with a pigeon. Some call them rats with wings, while others call them a delicacy, but I call them all Gary’s cousins. 

Why, you ask? Well because I have a wonderful sculpture made by JJ Galloway that has become my family’s mascot. Yes, his name is Gary, and yes, he is a pigeon eating ramen. He watches over my household and sits prominently atop our kitchen bookcase because….why not? Why not turn a very common bird that most people try to avoid into an invaluable piece of your puzzle? Why not find beauty in the banal? Why not change your mind set so that when you go about your day, you don’t think about the possibility of getting pooped on, but rather attending a family reunion. This sculpture has become the visual representation of what I teach my children daily; to find beauty in every picture, to smile in every situation, and to truly remember what matters.” 

“One of my favourite works that I own is ‘Hansel und Gretel III’, a small mezzotint by Maho Kino. I acquired it at the time that I was working at Christie’s and co-chairing the Staff Art Show there and Maho, in addition to being a very talented printmaker, was the Print Department’s Art Handler. I loved her submission to the Staff Art Show and while I didn’t place the winning bid on that work, my birthday was right after the show wrapped and my friend purchased this print for me as a gift. I was so moved! 

I love the intimate size of this print and the way the tiny peanut Hansel and Gretel seem to be suspended in the vast darkness, so I chose to present this work in a floating frame. I like being able to see the edges of the paper, allowing the dense colour of the work room to breathe, while giving it slightly more scale on the wall.” 

“I’ve had this artwork for around 5 years, it’s a print of the painting “The Sunny South” by W.S Coleman. It was gifted to me by my parents who bought it in an antique shop in the early 90s. They purchased it as there were similarities between the young girl in the work and me when I was growing up. I have chosen to hang this next to a window that has a sea view, which mimics the work itself in which there is a sea view set off to the right of the piece. I’m very fond of the title of the work as I now live in the sunny South of England myself.”

“All of the art in my home serves a purpose. To commemorate, or to soothe, to energise or encourage. This glowing work from Danish artist Jan Wessel is a special one to me because it ticks all of those boxes. I bought it to celebrate my first edition as director of Affordable Art Fair Amsterdam and it hangs beneath an Arno Hoogland work with a twin story, only the fair was Brussels. 

Like the positions those cities and the fairs hold in my life, I cherish both works equally for all the ways they contrast and complement one another. And for how they inspire me to wonder ‘what’s next?'” 

“This artwork ‘Children’s Games (Updated After Bruegel), Duke of York Square’ by artist Adam Dant is a limited edition lithograph print which hangs in my dining room. A contemporary take of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s sixteenth century painting Children’s Games, the print was a Christmas gift from my husband a few years ago. It was chosen mainly due the location portrayed, a part of London close to home and heart. 

The work is a semi-fictional depiction of the King’s Road in Chelsea looking westward. Dant shows the actual buildings and shops present at the time but the street is empty of the plethora of traffic which usually packs this thoroughfare. Instead, the street is filled with children (some wearing the uniform of actual local schools) playing traditional games such as hopscotch, hoops and skipping rope. 

I chose to frame the piece in a thin gold-coloured wooden frame which works well with the orange tones as well as the adjacent wall lights. It currently hangs in my dining room and is always a topic of conversation. Family and visitors alike love to examine the detail and new elements are still being spotted a few years down the line. My son’s favourite spot is a reference to video game “Minecraft’, not a detail present in Bruegel’s original!”

“Since joining the company, with so many tempting works in front of me at all times, it’s no surprise that I wanted to up my game. 

I was initially drawn to the colours in Marcelina Amelia’s ‘Algae’, purchased from Liberty Gallery, but then became fascinated with the organic shapes. I find the feeling of the work, which for me walks a line between serenity and melancholy, really relaxing and as the focal piece in my living room, that for me is key.” 

“Not only do I love this artwork for its vibrancy and quirky nature, but it also holds a lot of sentimentality for me. This is lovely as the subject matter is coincidentally focused on nostalgia. 

I bought this piece on an open studio visit with my family. We got to step into Victoria Topping’s magical creative bubble. My mum and I were like children in a sweet shop exploring this world and talking with Victoria about her work and process. This particular print is an artist’s proof, which I thought made it a little more special as it is truly unique. Not only is this artwork filled with memories of this wonderful day, but it is also one of the first pieces I hung when I moved into my first flat outside of living in house shares, signifying a step forward in my life and time.”

“My friends all chipped in to buy me a screen print of Babak Ganjei’s ‘Art is the Thing’ two years ago when I first started attending markets with my ceramics. I suppose they thought it would keep me grounded. I have framed and hung it above my studio desk, which means I see it every day whilst in creative mode. It still makes me smile every time.   

We’d seen Babak’s work at End of the Road Festival and spent ages reading all his dryly funny prints, so this artwork isn’t just something I’ll love forever, but also taps into memories made with some of the most important people in my life!”