Koopman Rare Art
The new Koopman gallery in Dover Street.
Koopman Rare Art has settled into its new showroom in the West End and is expanding its presence in jewellery.
After more than 50 years in the London Silver Vaults on Chancery Lane, it moved this summer to a 3200 sq ft showroom over two floors of a Georgian building at 11-12 Dover Street.
Director Lewis Smith explains: “London remains one of the world’s main centres for unparalleled works of art and our new location in Mayfair puts us at the heart of London’s luxury market. Hence we feel we are now better positioned to give fine jewellery a heightened level of prominence."
Kimberley Smith has joined Koopman Rare Art.
As part of the expansion of its jewellery department Smith’s daughter Kimberley Smith (previously in Sotheby's jewellery department) has joined. She will work with recently hired Sam Hug, who was also previously in Sotheby’s jewellery department.
A designated space in the new gallery has been dedicated to jewels
Smith added: “Jewellery hasn’t always been something we’ve placed at the forefront of our business, but the connection has always been there. One of our founders Eddy Koopman was a trained diamond cutter from Amsterdam and was deeply involved in the jewellery trade before he became known as an expert dealer in antique silver.”
As part of the changes at the business it has upgraded its website and now has a separate members area and a blog section.
Elstob & Elstob
Trevor Chinery has joined Elstob & Elstob.
Elstob & Elstob has opened a new stamp, postcards and postal history department led by specialist Trevor Chinery.
Chinery has more than 25 years’ experience as both a dealer and collector in the fields of philately (stamps) and deltiology (postcards) and owns Philatelic Auction Agency. Until recently he ran a stamps department at Tennants of Leyburn and is a member of the Royal Philatelic Society, the Philatelic Trade Society and the West Indies Studies Group.
Based in Ripon, North Yorkshire, Elstob & Elstob was founded in 2019 by former Thomas Watson Auctioneers director David Elstob and his wife Beth Elstob.
To mark the launch of the new department it will host a specialist valuation event on September 16
Elstob & Elstob noticed a growth in stamp collecting during lockdown and Chinery said the hobby has been booming recently. He added: “Stamp and postcard collecting is no longer seen as the domain of the elderly, geeky or very young!
"The profile of the collector has changed dramatically. It has a much younger demographic with far more women taking part. The objects are very ‘instagrammable’ and as a hobby it is both relaxing and tangible.”
Hansons Auctioneers
Katy Beardmore has joined Hansons.
Hansons Auctioneers has hired two new valuers and promoted a member of staff to the position of company secretary.
Oliver Thomas at Hansons.
Katy Beardmore joins as valuer and has 25 years’ experience working with her family of antiques dealers. She specialises in 20th century ceramics and glass and Art Deco.
Oli Thomas has joined as a general valuer based at Bishton Hall, Hansons’ Staffordshire saleroom. He is a specialist in arms and militaria and leads the firm’s Country Pursuit sales which offer items relating to hunting, shooting and fishing. He previously worked at Bonhams which he joined in 2015, initially as a porter in the Knightsbridge saleroom and later worked in its car department; in its New Bond Street gallery and in its Modern Sporting guns department.
The firm, which runs salerooms in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Oxfordshire and London, promoted Sonya Marshall to the position of company secretary. She first joined Hansons as a PA to the saleroom team.
East Bristol Auctions
East Bristol Auctions has become a member of The Society of Fine Art Auctioneers And Valuers (SOFAA).
East Bristol Auctions, founded by Evan McPherson and Samantha Homes in Hanham, Bristol in 2012, has become a member of The Society of Fine Art Auctioneers And Valuers (SOFAA). Homes recently achieved Gemmology and Diamond qualifications becoming DGA FGA qualified.
Asia Week New York
Dessa Goddard is the new chairman of Asia Week New York.
Dessa Goddard is the new chairman of Asia Week New York, the collaboration between Asian art galleries, auction houses, museums and Asian cultural institutions. Goddard is head of Bonhams’ US Asian art group and vice president and global head of business strategy for Chinese paintings at the firm.
Bonhams
Bonhams bought specialist online car seller The Market earlier this year in the UK and it is now expanding it into Europe.
The first European auction for the marketplace for classic and collectable car and motorcycle auctions will close on September 15.
The Market was founded in 2016. Bonhams said the platform sold a hammer total of £10.6m across 640 auctions in 2020 and is on track for a hammer total of £20m for the current year with a sale rate of more than 90% for the last four years.
The British Antique Dealers’ Association
Alain Dominique Perrin, president of the Jeu de Paume Museum and artist Guy Taplin have joined the panel of judges for the inaugural The British Antique Dealers’ Association BADA Arts Prize to be awarded in October this year.
The prize is a new annual competition which seeks to promote “the antiques of tomorrow” by awarding a £1000 grant to an emerging contemporary artist. The winner will be determined by live public polling and awarded at the BADA Week reception in London on October 15.
Potburys Auctions
After 50 years of trading, Potburys Auctions in Sidmouth, Devon will close with the last sale scheduled for September 21. Although the Temple Street auction premises will cease operating, the firm will continue to run its furniture shop Potburys of Sidmouth in the High Street as well as Potburys Removals and Storage and will continue to offer house clearance and disposal services.
It said over the 50 years of operating it has sold close to one million lots at auction.
La Biennale de Lyon
Cedric Martin. Image copyright: Biennale de Lyon.
Cédric Martin has been appointed executive director and administrator at La Biennale de Lyon. He was previously an administrator of Public Places in Marseille.
At the same time, Yves Robert is leaving his position as deputy director of the Biennale. This 16th edition of the Contemporary Art Biennale will take place from September 2022 until January 2023, celebrating its 30th anniversary.
