Dreweatts
Silas Currie has joined Dreweatts as a senior valuer to oversee the auction house’s online sales. He joins from Bellmans. Currie previously worked with Dreweatts’ managing director Jonathan Pratt at both Phillips and Bellmans. Joining on September 9, he will work with Dreweatts’ valuation and specialist departments to focus on digital growth and Dreweatts’ online sales.
Pratt said: “Dreweatts was an early adopter of online technology and recognises the importance today of offering auction solutions in particular through timed and market place formats. Our plan is to continue to improve our presence and service with an online strategy in a number of departments.”
Lyon and Turnbull
Grace Tu
Grace Tu has joined Lyon & Turnbull as head of Asian art, operating out of its London office. She will lead its four annual Asian Works of Art auctions and specialist valuations services. Her first sale will be L&T’s Edinburgh auction of Asian Works of Art on October 15, followed by its London Fine Asian Works of Art auction on November 7, part of the Asian Art in London events.
Tu has previously worked in Taiwan as well as a researcher for dealer Ben Janssens Oriental Art Gallery and as a doctoral candidate at Leiden University in The Netherlands.
Bellmans
Samantha Dunn-Davies
Bellmans has announced the appointment of Samantha Dunn-Davies to head its new London office in Brook Street, Mayfair. Before joining Bellmans, Dunn-Davies was director of valuations for Borro, an art finance company. She was also a senior specialist at Bonhams, in its London and European valuations department, specialising in jewellery, and held positions at Christie’s and Phillips before that. Bellmans of Wisborough Green, West Sussex, opened a second saleroom in Winchester, Hampshire, in 2016.
Halls Fine Art
Abigail Molenaar
Abigail Molenaar will hold her first sale at Halls after joining the firm in June as research assistant and cataloguer in its pictures department.
She is currently putting together the firm’s online auction of Modern and Contemporary art in October. Online bidding will start on October 11 and runs through to October 27. Molenaar previously spent 10 years working within the museums and heritage sectors in the UK and Netherlands, including at the Oriental Museum, Centrum voor Internationale Erfgoedactiviteiten (CIE) and Shropshire Museums Service.
Transferware Collectors Club
The US-based international collectors club dedicated to the study of British transfer-printed ceramics has awarded the latest Paul and Gladys Richards Research Grant Awards for this year.
Grants totaling more than $13,000 have been awarded to: Tania Manuel Casimiro in Portugal, Sandra Guillermo in Argentina, George Haggarty in Scotland and Scott Hanson in the US.
