I spent fifteen years in administration running the largest Antique Centre in Australia. I was charged with overseeing the busy weekend period and the sixty shops that collectively made up the business.
The 1980’s was an exciting time in the antiques business. I loved it. I read every book I could find on the subject. I handled thousands of objects while attending to customers’ needs. I was made for this life!
It was during this time at the Sydney Antique Centre I developed a keen interest in Art Deco. I made several trips to London and Paris establishing relationships with some wonderful people. Victor Arwas became important as a mentor, giving me a complete signed set of Art Deco reference books. His motto was: “Given a choice, always choose the best!” I became an enthusiastic collector of Rene Lalique glass. Another wonderful person, Alana Coleman, was also instrumental in my development. She was a colleague of my mother’s and they were both judges in the “cat world”. They also bred cats and were renowned experts in their field. Alana organized the Grosvenor House Antiques Fair in London. I remember being given a press pass one year and met Yoko Ono and the diminutive, but impressive, Joan Collins – at the same time! Margaret Thatcher opened the exhibition that day. Alana Coleman was also instrumental in assisting Brett Whiteley and Gerhard Richter in their careers. She was a good woman and no fool.
Around 1987, one of my first purchases was a Highland Cattle scene by Alfred De Breanski Snr. I found the picture, but only had half the money to pay for it and so I took a big chance and asked my boss if he wanted a half share. He agreed and a few months later he doubled his money when I sold the picture at Sotheby’s in London. He was so pleased he gave me my own showcase at the Sydney Antique Centre. It was called Shop 1 and my business was launched: Artsearch.
For the next 15 years, I worked for the Antique Centre. I had my showcase, which supplemented my income. It also enabled me to develop an interest in quality. Victor’s kind words were always in the back of my mind. French Art Deco glass and bronzes continued to be an interest.
I developed a keen eye for art. My budget was somewhat limited in those days so 18th, 19th and 20th Century Japanese woodblocks became a collecting field for me. I made many trips to Japan over the years. I enjoyed the relationship between Japanese art and design, and the ensuing synergy adopted by the French Art Deco movement.
The wax bust photographed for media content 1996 by renowned photographer David Mist. I was the Art Director for the shoot. This was one of the items from Shop1, Artsearch, Sydney Antique Centre. I sold it to Michael Jackson’s Stage costume designer and delivered it personally to him in LA. He was impressed with the service!
Another item was a Fornasetti vase, photographed by the Sydney Morning Herald for this two-page feature, again..1996.
The vase sold for $10,000. A considerable sum twenty five years ago.
It was thus a natural progression to become interested in Cubism and Modern Art. I was hooked. I was unable to purchase important works, but found the area fascinating. And then, years later and out of the blue, I came across an amazing collection. Many years of experience told me that this was an opportunity and so, without being sure of how to make it all work, I started purchasing what I could afford. I made a commitment last year and embarked on a research trip to London and New York. With my trusty iPad under one arm and a few works on paper under the other, I met up with various individuals, from auction house experts to academics, and one very serious Art Collection facilitator. He told me that I had an amazing collection. I was in touch with foundations and hereditary custodians, visited the Tate Modern, The National Gallery, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Met and The Guggenheim. I returned to Australia feeling quite exhausted, but positive about my collection. A few weeks later a massive brain haemorrhage sent me to emergency in a helicopter. I spent weeks in the Intensive Care Unit. It took months to recover. All is good now and I swim a kilometre almost every day. My goal now is to build a peer reviewed blog on each picture. I welcome expert opinion and encourage it. The pictures are for sale and I am selling them as I see them. Original works on paper, as described.
I have been studying Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a means of exchange. I have set up a payment model – cryptocurrency for real works of art. That’s right. I will accept Bitcoin, XRP, Litecoin and Ethereum as payment for my pictures. The logos on this site determine acceptable currency. Cash, gold, silver or bank deposit is also acceptable.
Everything on this site is being sold in good faith and with careful consideration. You must satisfy yourself through due diligence that what you are buying is what you are after. I will do everything I can to assist you in your purchase in a fair and reasonable manner.
My Philosophy
In 2016, I had a major health scare. One minute President Obama was in office and when I woke up out of a coma, Donald Trump was President Elect and Fidel Castro was dead. Honestly, turn your back for one minute!
Anyway, the short story is that this health scare made me realise that the proverbial ‘rainy day’ had arrived. However, this does not imply that I came down with the last shower, which also means that I have a pretty good idea of what I have – and that is a collection of water colours and drawings that, in my opinion, are by some of the most renowned artists of the 20th century. I have been around art and antiques for nearly 40 years. My evaluation is based on my own eye, experience and research. I have spent many days at the Tate Modern gallery in London, the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York looking at works by the artists in my collection. One of my pictures from the Gil Romero Collection sold at auction in New York last year and was purchased by an important collector of that artist’s work.
I decided to put some of my pictures on a website, together with the story that accompanies them. Find a work that you love. Does the picture ‘talk’ to you? Pictures are there to be enjoyed. There should be passion. That is the spirit of art. Buy what you like, and can afford. I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars buying what I liked and enjoyed. As the man said: “Talk the talk, but walk the walk.” I used to race Le Mans prototypes. Serious racing cars. I did it! I walked the walk.
I am happy to accept several types of crypto currencies as payment. I like the idea of decentralisation. I am selling these pictures as original works of art by the artists described. I welcome scrutiny, but it is ultimately your decision as to whether you are satisfied the work is authentic. I believe they are, that’s why I bought them. They are priced to sell and they will be sold.