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THE LAUNCH OF GURR JOHNS FINANCE IN THE ART NEWSPAPER

By Business, Gurr Johns News

The launch of Gurr Johns Finance was reported by the Art Newspaper on 19 May 2022.

The article quotes Ben Clark, co-CEO of Gurr Johns, who says: “The art lending market is now worth over $24bn, having tripled in size in eight years as it continues to grow. With Gurr Johns Capital, we are further extending our advisory services to private, trade and institutional clients. Our long-standing knowledge of the international art market puts us in an unparalleled position to combine tailor-made financing solutions with world-leading appraisal experience and independent specialist expertise.”

You can read the full article here.

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THE LAUNCH OF GURR JOHNS FINANCE IN THE FINANCIAL TIMES

By Business, Gurr Johns News

The launch of Gurr Johns Finance was reported by the Financial Times on 19 May 2022.

The article quotes Alessandro Fiorotto, Managing Director of Gurr Johns Finance, who says: “There’s more of a concept to leverage collections now, to bridge cash flow needs for example, and it is natural for us to add this service.”

You can read the full article here.

ADRIAN STIMSON EXHIBITION AT GURR JOHNS REVIEWED ON CBC NEWS

By Exhibitions, Gurr Johns News

On 20 May 2022, CBC News reviewed ‘Manifest Buffalo: A Bison Dream’, the first solo exhibition in Europe of the celebrated Canadian Indigenous artist Adrian Stimson (b.1964).

Hosted at Gurr Johns’ gallery at 16 Pall Mall from 16 to 27 May 2022, the show presented more than 30 new paintings by the Siksika (Blackfoot) Nation artist whose work addresses issues of colonisation and identity construction and brings First Nation issues to an international audience.

The exhibition was supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the High Commission of Canada in London.

The story can be found here.

GURR JOHNS HOSTS FIRST EUROPEAN SOLO EXHIBITION OF THE CELEBRATED CANADIAN INDIGINEOUS ARTIST ADRIAN STIMSON

By Exhibitions, Gurr Johns News

From 16 to 27 May 2022, Gurr Johns’ gallery at 16 Pall Mall, London, hosts the first solo exhibition in Europe of the celebrated Canadian Indigenous artist Adrian Stimson (b.1964). ‘Manifest Buffalo: A Bison Dream’ presents more than 30 new paintings by the Siksika (Blackfoot) Nation artist whose work addresses issues of colonisation and identity construction and brings First Nation issues to an international audience.

The exhibition is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the High Commission of Canada in London.

GURR JOHNS APPOINTS RACHEL ADLER ROSAN AS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FINE ART IN NEW YORK

By Gurr Johns News

Gurr Johns is pleased to announce the appointment of Rachel Adler Rosan as Senior Director of Fine Art, specialising in 20th Century and Contemporary Art. Based in New York, and bringing 25 years’ experience in the art market, Rachel provides appraisals for estate tax, charitable donation, insurance, and collateral loans, and advises private clients on acquiring and deaccessioning works of art.

Before joining Gurr Johns, Rachel spent nine years as Vice President of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s where she led both the Day and Evening sales during a time of rapid market expansion. After leaving Sotheby’s, she consulted for Gurr Johns for several years before joining Phillips in 2015 as Senior Specialist and Head of Appraisals for 20th Century & Contemporary Art.

Charlie Horne, President, Gurr Johns Americas says: “We are delighted to welcome Rachel to the global team at Gurr Johns. She brings an extraordinary wealth of experience having played prominent roles in both art sales and valuations at both Sotheby’s and Phillips, and she is already familiar with the team having worked independently for many years with Gurr Johns. Rachel will further bolster our expertise based in New York, and her appointment reinforces our commitment to serve as impartial and trusted professional advisors to art collectors throughout the US, and across the world.”

Rachel is a member of ArtTable and is actively involved with the American Friends of the Israel Museum. She is a certified member of the Appraisers Association of America and her appraisals are compliant with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

‘THREADING THE LINE’ – AN EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY REBECCA SALTER ON VIEW AT GURR JOHNS

By Gurr Johns News

From 7 to 17 October 2021, in association with ARTUNER, Gurr Johns is pleased to be hosting ‘Threading the Line’, an exhibition of works by Rebecca Salter P.R.A., the President of the Royal Academy of Arts.

This is the first exhibition by ARTUNER dedicated solely to the work of Rebecca Salter with whom they have collaborated since 2017; her paintings have previously featured in international exhibitions including ‘In Praise of Shadows’, 2017, in New York City and ‘Memories Arrested in Space’, 2018, at the Italian Cultural Institute in London. This exhibition will showcase large scale paintings spanning the 2000s to new works, most of which have never previously been seen in public, and will be hosted at Gurr Johns’ newly renovated gallery space in Pall Mall, in the heart of London.

The exhibition is open from Friday 8th to Sunday 17th October from 10am to 6pm and from 8.30am to 8pm on Tuesday 12th October at Gurr Johns, First Floor Gallery, 16 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5LU.

Alessandro Fiorotto Headshot

GURR JOHNS: PERSPECTIVES – ALESSANDRO FIOROTTO

By Gurr Johns News

Gurr Johns: Perspectives sees our specialists share their views, opinions, and insights about the global art world.

In the last of this series, Alessandro Fiorotto (Managing Director, Gurr Johns Capital) shares his thoughts on why you shouldn’t turn your next child into an NFT, what’s changing in the art finance world, and the new specialty lender about to arrive on the scene…

* NFTs continue to be headline news. Are they the future of art collecting? Should I mint an NFT of my child? Would you lend against it?  

Alessandro Fiorotto (A.F) All good questions, to which I would have to answer no. We are living in a new age of art investment and, as the industry continues to evolve, we’ve seen a heightened interest in the digitalization of the art market and NFTs in particular, but only time will demonstrate their longevity and staying power. Personally, now that the world is opening back up, I believe that many collectors are enjoying returning to galleries and auction houses and seeing artworks hanging in front of them again, rather than just sharing them on an iPad.

In terms of lending against digital art and NFTs, as with any volatile asset, it is complex, but not impossible. There’s no doubt that the trading of digital assets in the form of an NFT on traditional fine art auction platforms has helped add credence to NFT-linked art as an asset class. NFTs’ ability to pinpoint authenticity is critical for buyers and sellers, which coupled with the ease of transfer and payment with cryptocurrency, makes them an attractive asset for new-age investors obsessed with liquidity.

Whether the NFT is a transformer or disruptor is open to debate. Ultimately, NFTs are just another form of digital art (which has been around for a long time) uniquely tied to a blockchain, and just as blockchain will change some industries more than others, it will also leave its mark on the art world.

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GURR JOHNS: PERSPECTIVES – BEN CLARK AND MARK ADAMS

By Gurr Johns News

Gurr Johns: Perspectives sees our specialists share their views, opinions and insights about the art world.

In the latest in the series, Ben Clark (CEO) and Mark Adams (Senior Art Advisor, London) discuss the shifting dynamics in the global art market, reflect on new and emerging trends, as well as one or two which aren’t quite as transparent as they might seem..

 

*How has a day in the life of a Gurr Johns Art Advisor changed in the past 15 months?

Ben Clark (B.C.) Being grounded  in London and unable to visit clients and engage with them in real time and space has been a huge challenge for all of us.  The silver lining is that as a global team, we have really pulled together.  With offices in three key continents and access to an international network of over 50 specialists has meant we can genuinely be the eyes and ears on behalf of our clients and that has been a huge advantage.

As advisors, our role as ‘filter’ has become ever more critical over this period. With the benefit of objectivity, my current default position is to be highly selective and act with caution – whether at auction or private treaty sale.  However,  I have unearthed my passport and I can’t wait to jump on a plane.

Mark Adams (M.A.) Personal contact or the lack of it– I long to meet my clients face-to-face again and to look at art with them.  However business-like we have all become, I think that the majority of players in this industry joined because they love art.  I’ve really missed the experience of standing with a client in front of a great painting and watch as it does its work, enchanting them.  It’s the best experience in the world. 

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