I am especially passionate about helping new audiences to come to contemporary art – there is no big mystery behind conceptual art, video art or installation art. The same things that might turn you on in a sixteenth century fresco can also be found in new media today. Likewise, I want to take a modern art junkie to see the masters. To unravel stories of fascinating people, staggering art and how it is possible to connect with an object hundreds of years old in a really personal and meaningful way.
Working as an art dealer and curator in both Hong Kong and London, I have the enormous pleasure of working with hundreds of artists from around the world. They are all enormously creative, driven and often insecure and -sometimes – a bit odd. It’s a wonderful to see the world through their eyes. And there can be no artists without collectors and patrons, even Michelangelo got depressed without being paid. I have helped hundreds build collections over the past ten years, from those making their first acquisition for modest sums to private museum owners. In every case the art truly means something, and seeing art from the perspective of people who are its custodians for future generations is a striking thing.
Something I have been doing since I graduated which continues to thrill me is taking someone to see art in the flesh and opening it up for them. Whether in Rome in a tiny church to stand where Caravaggio stood as he worked out how to fill a space – not knowing he was about to change art forever – or in Tate Britain in front of Francis Bacon who just brings me to my knees every time.
I love bringing art to life for people. Doing that in person as an expert guide or on television, or by curating or writing about art is a true privilege.
Projects
- White City House Art Collection, LondonA cultural icon and landmark piece of modern architecture, the Television Centre at White City was a factory for television and a powerhouse of creative broadcasting. Soho House opened a new site, White City House, as part of the redevelopment complex in April 2018. The art collection is dedicated to honouring the creative spirit and enduring broadcasting legacy of this important location. A key aspect of this collections is Dear Tony Hart, a commissioned collection that honours the BBC Televis
- Picasso Live! Tate Modern, Sky ArtsOn Sunday March 11th 2018, I presented live from the Tate Modern, giving art addicts a front row seat to the most important exhibition of the year, Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy. 1932 was Picasso’s year of wonders. You will not believe the amount of masterpieces he created nor how many times he reinvented art history and left us with images so compelling and complex that we are still working them out today. I was joined by a bunch of Picasso geeks like David Bailey, Vic Reeves, Jonathan Yeo
- NOT 30%, The Other Art Fair, LondonTo mark its 30th edition, The Other Art Fair, the leading artist-led fair, I curated a second site wholly dedicated to showcasing womenartists. Not 30% was part exhibition and part protest against the male dominated art world. A recent report showed women are at best represented 30% of the time in the art world. 60% of art graduates are women, yet in gallery representation, museum collections and exhibitions, the presence of women artists amounts to a maximum of 30%, often far less. See the ful
Skills
- Writing
- Curation
- Art Curation
- Broadcasting