Guus Röell: Maastricht, The Netherlands
Dealer Guus Röell of Röell Fine Art specialises in export art. His exhibition From Distant Shores runs from November 1-9 at the gallery of Daniel Crouch Rare Books at 4 Bury Street, St James’s.
Guus Röell of Röell Fine Art.
Why exhibit in London?
Buyers from the East still come to London, whereas they hardly come to the Netherlands any more since Christie’s and Sotheby’s left Amsterdam. It’s only during TEFAF Maastricht that I still meet clients from east Asia in the Netherlands.
Why is AAL important to you?
The cooperation between museums, auction houses and dealers draws many categories of people. For me, it is a perfect opportunity to meet friends and clients, new and old.
What are you exhibiting this year?
Art made in the East from the 17th-19th centuries either for Westerners living there or for export. My offerings include art from India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China and Japan.
Star object?
A Japanese lacquer or copper plaque depicting St Petersburg on the river Neva (pictured above) made in Nagasaki c.1790. It is identical to another in a St Petersburg museum, which was given to Catherine the Great in 1794 by Swedish medical doctor Johan Arnold Stützer (1763-1821). The scene was copied from an optical print taken by Stützer to Japan. It is priced at €65,000.
BachmannEckenstein: Basel, Switzerland
BachmannEckenstein, run by Thomas Bachmann and Gabriel Eckenstein, will be sharing a space with two other Japanese works of art dealers, Simon Pilling and Hanga Ten, during Asian Art in London. The joint exhibition titled Japan3 will run at Gallery 8 in Duke Street.
Thomas Bachmann and Gabriel Eckenstein.
Why Asian Art in London?
When AAL started 21 years ago we always planned to participate but, in the early years, it was a London dealers-only event. After AAL opened up to overseas dealers, we thought ‘let’s do it’. It won’t be our first London presence as we did the summer Olympia fair for a couple of years.
Advance planning? We find a theme – in this case ‘Japanese Eccentrics’ – and then carefully source the works. We already have some works secured, and others we are still working on. We always need to think how we can show them in our space.
Your star object?
Among the items we are bringing are a powerful ink on paper sketch of Dai Itoku-Myoo, the wrathful emanation of Amida, by Tomita Keisen (1879-1936), and an Edo period glazed ceramic sake flask. The flask is much to my taste: it has been repaired using ‘yobitsugi’ – borrowed patches, made from sherds from another vessel that closely match the original appearance of the bottle. It is priced at €4500.
An Edo period glazed ceramic sake flask repaired using ‘yobitsugi’, priced at €4500 from BachmannEckenstein.
How long are you staying in London?
We will both be in London during the main weekend of AAL, but not for the whole time. We’ll enjoy London, though I do have to update my shortlist as things are always changing in this city.
Lempertz: Cologne, Berlin, Brussels
Lempertz will exhibit lots at Illustrationcupboard Gallery in Bury St from November 2-7 ahead of its December 7-8 sales in Cologne. Erwin van Pruissen is head of Asian art.
Erwin van Pruissen of Lempertz.
Why Asian Art in London?
It’s an opportunity to meet up with existing and new clients, to make sure they will visit our preview and sale in December in Cologne.
Advance planning?
Our main concern is that our catalogue is finished, then the items have to be packed and shipped. All other arrangements, like a place to stay and informing our clients, have to be done as well.
Your star object?
Our highlights include a wonderful imperial Qianlong ‘eight Buddhist emblems’ cloisonné alms bowl. It is estimated at €50,000-80,000.
An imperial Qianlong ‘eight Buddhist emblems’ cloisonné alms bowl, estimated at €50,000-80,000 at Lempertz.
Who is coming from Lempertz?
I will be, together with my colleague Noemi Stubbe, who speaks Chinese fluently. We will most likely be staying at a CitizenM Hotel for eight nights, long enough to also visit sales at the participating auction houses.
What else will you do in London?
The V&A and the British Museum are must-visit places for me, as well as other exhibitors and participants of AAL. These are days for catching up with old friends and creating new business opportunities.
What’s best about London?
We like to visit China Town and eat Peking duck.
Bruun Rasmussen: Copenhagen, Denmark
Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen will be exhibiting works in London at Shapero Modern in St George Street from November 4-6, ahead of the specialist auctions in Copenhagen at the end of November. Ralph Lexner is head of Asian art.
Ralph Lexner of Bruun Rasmussen.
Why Asian Art in London?
Because that’s where things are happening. It is without a doubt the largest centre for Asian art in Europe and many Chinese customers travel to London for this reason. It’s highly beneficial for us to exhibit our Asian art treasures in this setting.
Advance planning?
There are logistical issues involved in moving forthcoming lots from Copenhagen to the gallery in London. We also bring our catalogues, which are always hot off the press.
Star object?
Our highlight this time around is a 13in (33cm) Yuan dynasty (1280-1368) porcelain flask moulded with four dragon handles on the neck and decorated with other mythical creatures. The estimated price is DKr1m-1.5m (€135,000-200,000).
A Yuan dynasty (1280-1368) porcelain flask, estimated at DKr1m-1.5m (€135,000-200,000) at Bruun Rasmussen.
What else will you do in London?
Our team are primarily in town to observe current trends and to network. So they plan to visit other auction houses, leading dealers and museums such as the British Museum and the V&A if time permits. We like to visit Rules restaurant in Covent Garden when in London – and I always try to find time for a walk down Jermyn Street to look at men’s clothing.
Nagel: Stuttgart, Germany
German auction house Nagel has booked The Pine Room at the Westbury Hotel in Conduit Street for its AAL exhibition, ahead of its auction taking place in Salzburg, Austria, on December 6-7. Tony Buchwald is the Asian art specialist.
Tony Buchwald of Nagel.
Why Asian Art in London?
To position ourselves firmly among the top international auction houses.
Advance plans?
Since we’ve done this quite a few times before, our planning mostly consists of the typical art exhibition logistics – what to show, where/when to show it and how to show it.
Your star object?
We usually bring about 100-120 items to our exhibition in London. But a highlight is a Qianlong mark and period cloisonné enamel censer in the shape of a luduan. It is estimated at €100,000-150,000.
A Qianlong mark and period cloisonné enamel censer in the shape of a luduan, estimated at €100,000-150,000 at Nagel.
Who’s coming from Nagel?
Myself and my colleagues Michael Trautmann (head of the department) and Julia Döpfer (expert for Japanese art), as well as Valentina Runge (assistant in Asian art department) and Rainer Kämmerer (head of PR). They’ll be assisted by our associates from London. We will definitely look at what the competition has to offer.
What’s best about visiting London?
The diversity of cultural and culinary options.
Robert Hales: Guernsey
Fine Oriental arms and armour are on offer from Robert Hales, who also deals in in Islamic arms and armour, from November 1-10 at the Weiss Gallery in St James’s. He works out of St Peter Port, Guernsey.
Dealer Robert Hales.
Where are you showing?
I am sharing the Weiss Gallery in Jermyn Street with my good friend Davinder Toor. We plan to spend two days setting up the exhibition and mixing our stock together – he is exhibiting Indian arms and armour, paintings and textiles.
How is the trade for Asian arms and armour?
The field of Islamic and Oriental arms and armour has become increasingly popular and a number of new collectors and museums have been acquiring items recently. The very finest pieces were status symbols produced by the best court jewellers and craftsmen and can lead one to study the history and culture of Asia and beyond.
Your star object?
An unusual 18th century Indian turquoise enamel sword decorated with numerous rosette-cut diamonds. Makara heads adorn the quillons and each head has a mobile tongue formed by a cantilevered ruby.
It is available for £450,000. I also have two old Balinese kris holder figures, a selection of unusual kris daggers and many other pieces.
An18th century Indian turquoise enamel sword available for £450,000 from Robert Hales.
Why London?
It has always been a centre for trading antique arms and armour. I am regularly in London but look forward to the social aspect of AAL, with time to meet collectors and fellow exhibitors.
Raquelle Azran: New York, USA
New Yorker Raquelle Azran has specialised in modern and contemporary Vietnamese art since 1991. She exhibits at the Guy Peppiatt and Stephen Ongpin Gallery (Mason’s Yard, Duke Street) from November 3-10.
Dealer Raquelle Azran.
What will you exhibit in London?
My exhibition this year is called Indochine Scenes: Vietnamese and French Paintings from the 1900s. It is intended to offer a glimpse into the fascinating world of Indochine, where French and Vietnamese artists forged the basis for contemporary Vietnamese fine art.
The show includes work by French peintres voyageurs (painter-travellers), a selection of mid-century Vietnamese paintings and works by renowned 20th century Vietnamese artists Le Pho, Luu Cong Nhan, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Phung Pham and Vinh Phoi.
What’s really exciting at the moment?
I have been working with Vietnamese artists from the mid-1990s. Since my first New York show in 1997 and inaugural London show in 2002, there has been a steady increase in attention from international collectors and museums. Recently, Vietnamese collectors have also appeared on the scene and this has markedly increased the desirability and value in the field.
‘Working in the Fields’, a gouache on paper painting by Ngo Van Duyen offered by Raquelle Azran.
How is the London market different from others?
I exhibit on a regular basis in Belgium and Germany. The art audience in these countries is largely domestic and local, whereas in London, the market is cosmopolitan and multinational.
Your star object?
Working in the Fields, a gouache on paper painting by Ngo Van Duyen (b. 1942) who references French modernism in this jewel-like local landscape.
