Abbott and Holder
Bloomsbury picture dealer Abbott and Holder is ‘reconfiguring’ its Museum Street premises, developing a new basement area in a move to take up less space.
It currently fills the ground and two upper floors of the building where it has resided since 1987. When works are complete, it will occupy the ground and lower floors, with the upper levels becoming home to separate entities.
The new area comprises three interconnected spaces representing 40 extra hanging metres.
The dealership’s Philip Athill says the space will have the same intimate atmosphere of the existing facilities, “keeping in touch with our past while acknowledging the importance of the website”, which makes it possible to do business with less room.
During the works the gallery remains open as usual across all floors. It will relaunch either at its annual September exhibition of 20th century works on paper or in October.
Nicholas McBurney
McBurney, a specialist in early printing and manuscripts of the Islamic world, has set up on his own. This is his first outing as an independent antiquarian book dealer, and so far, he says his biggest challenge is “figuring out a working rhythm” as he adjusts to working from home rather than with a team at a shop.
His previous roles include stints at Bernard Quaritch (where he ran its Islamic department), at Heywood Hill on Curzon Street and John Randall Books of Asia.
An Ottoman Qur’an manuscript, dated 1576, priced £27,500 from Nicholas McBurney.
McBurney prefers rare and ‘quirky’ items, and he has experience with drawings, watercolours, prints and photography as well as books and manuscripts. He is based in his home in London and hopes to spend more time on the road sourcing and selling stock.
Timothy Langston
West London dealer Timothy Langston has relocated his shop to Ebury Street, a larger and more visible space than his previous home on nearby Pimlico Road.
The move, which he promoted online with a pair of videos (‘Where is Timothy Langston?’), follows the opening of an additional premises in Petworth, West Sussex, last year.
In the London showroom he offers a mixture of major important pieces, decorative antiques and more commercial objects. The premises are decorated to give a contemporary feel which Langston describes as “clean, making the objects very accessible”.
Langston offers clients online and in-person shopping options. As well as decorating the fresh space, he is currently working on a new website where more stock and an extensive archive will be available.
He stands at the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in Battersea three times a year, with the next outing taking place from October 1-6.
Darnley Fine Art
Darnley Fine Art is the latest addition to the clutch of dealers in central London’s Cecil Court. The gallery is helmed by Adrian Pett, specialising in 16th-20th century art, particularly portraits, Orientalist paintings and lithographs by David Roberts.
Darnley Fine Art's gallery in London’s Cecil Court.
The new gallery has two high-ceilinged floors of showrooms. Victorian painter Thomas Cooper Gotch (1854-1931) is the focus of the inaugural show, followed by one on the early works of Contemporary artist Graham Dean.
“I have always wanted my own space and the opportunity to have a gallery at Cecil Court became available so I jumped at it,” Pett says. “The area is always busy, with many international buyers.”
It joins other dealerships such as Panter & Hall, Daniel Bexfield and Bryars & Bryars.
