The Art of Collecting

'As some of our customers know Gladwell's old gallery resided in the City of London since time immemorial. In fact, one of the Gallery's previous owners was the Lord Mayor in the days gone by. From 1928 we were on the corner of Queen Victoria and Watling Street where we had five display windows with which to exhibit the gallery's fine art collection. The pictures in each were changed once a week, the windows were cleaned, the floor polished and handwritten labels with the title of the picture, the artists name and any awards that he had won were displayed for anyone passing to enjoy. As the windows were the Galleries only form of advertising, we relied solely on them to attract both old and new clients.

How strange when comparing today's modern marketing techniques with extensive informative catalogues, emails, and media advertising. But our windows then met the needs of the day and together with customer recommendation they have helped the gallery advance towards it 270th anniversary celebrations.

From days gone by at little old Gladwell's, to our brilliant galleries in Knightsbridge and in Rutland, we have always continued to always acquire the best quality pieces. My raison d'etre is to look around for beautiful paintings. Nothing gives me more pleasure than a great picture and we never buy anything unless we like it. I would always stress the joy of looking at pictures, rather than value. I hope that irrespective of value we can guide our client's taste in art and help them to appreciate the very best in the field which gives them the greatest pleasure, be it landscape, marine, figurative or still life' — Anthony Fuller.

'I was always impressed by, and probably a little jealous of, schoolmates who were good at art, as I was quite hopeless myself. Family visits to museums deepened my appreciation of well-known artists and gradually formed the desire to own works of art. That opportunity arose in 1977, when I had a significant win on a racehorse named Nebbiolo. I decided that a meaningful portion of those winnings would be used to begin collecting.

In the early years, I focused on sporting art, which led to my introduction to W.H. Patterson on Albemarle Street in January 1983. I remember seeing a portrait of the 1899 Derby winner, Flying Fox, in the window and hesitating for a few days before returning-by which time it had been sold. Fortunately, this marked the beginning of something more enduring, as John White then invited me to attend exhibitions, broadening my interests considerably.

My first purchase followed in 1985, the same year Willem Dolphyn held his first exhibition at W.H. Patterson. He was both an accomplished artist and a distinctive character, and I feel fortunate to have known him, as well as his son Walter, and to have their works within my collection. At the outset, I had no fixed plan and simply acquired what appealed to me. Over time, as a regular patron of Gladwell & Patterson, I have had the privilege of meeting many artists whose work I admire, particularly Paul Brown, Stewart Lees and Walter Dolphyn, all of whom are well represented in my collection.

The effects of that win on Nebbiolo in 1977 have continued to shape my life. I find far greater satisfaction in living with works of art than in observing figures on a bank statement' - A Discerning Collector.

'When I was young, I often spent holidays in Norfolk and Suffolk, and I remember being struck by the breadth of the beaches and the scale of the sky. Years later, while walking along Bond Street in London, I came across a painting by Edward Seago depicting the Norfolk coast. It immediately recalled those early experiences, and I remember thinking that I would like, at some point, to acquire a work of that kind.

Not long after, Glenn telephoned to say that the gallery had acquired a Seago painting in France and asked whether I might be interested. I did not hesitate, and it has since become a work I return to regularly. Its presence continues to recall those earlier impressions of the coastline and the distinctive quality of light across the East Anglian sky.

Seago’s treatment of the sky, in particular, remains a defining aspect of his work' — A Discerning Collector.