INTRODUCTION

 

 

Welcome to Albany Fine Art

 

The ancient Chinese proverb, “May you live in interesting times” would seem to define current economic woes. Whilst often understood to be a blessing, it was actually intended as a curse – “interesting times” being periods of chaos. By this criterion, we all face a period of intensely interesting times.

 

A City investment banker said to me recently that “no asset class is safe” and many would agree with this view. So what does a sensible individual do in such unpredictable times? Perhaps the best advice is stay calm, don’t rush into switching investments unless it’s patently advantageous to do so, don’t move house unless absolutely necessary (or ‘trading up’), and consider whether any available funds are best kept in cash or another asset class – such as fine art. If so, you might find it instructive to look at the links in Investing in Art.

 

As a recognised asset class, many investors consider Fine Art in tandem with traditional investment sectors and, particularly in these troubled times, there are and will be attractive buying opportunities. Indeed it may be the best time to buy for many years – in addition to the pleasure to be gained from owning a particular work, which should always be the primary reason for purchase.

 

Albany specialises in high quality works of art by well-known artists with a particular interest in figurative work c.1860-1960. We also operate rather differently to other dealers and galleries:

 

We own all the work we offer for sale

 

Most galleries offer works by contemporary or ‘house’ artists. Why? There are many artists struggling to make a living (some very good but many less so); there is therefore a ready availability of supply; and most importantly, the gallery is not required to invest in the process, the work almost invariably work being accepted ‘on consignment’ whereby the gallery provides the artist with a ‘shop window’, takes a significant commission on each sale, and returns unsold work to the artist at no cost to the gallery. By comparison, Albany has invested in its own judgement and purchased all works it offers for sale.

 

We do not deal in Contemporary Art

 

We do not deal in Contemporary Art (the likes of Damien Hirst etc) – as opposed to some figurative work by contemporary artists which we do believe has long-term artistic merit.

 

We do not believe that most Contemporary Art will stand the test of time, nor do we believe that the prices paid for much Contemporary Art are sustainable but rather that they are frequently grossly over-inflated – a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes’? Indeed a successful Contemporary London art dealer recently confided that, “I hate 99.9% of the work I sell and if it wasn’t for the weight of vested interests in maintaining these crazy prices, the bubble would have burst long ago”.

 

We are independent

 

We have no commercial links with any other organisation. Our sole allegiance is to our clients.

 

We wish to offer excellent value

 

Comparisons can be invidious but we suggest that our prices are probably in the order of 50% less than a client would expect to pay for the same work in a West End gallery.  This is perhaps to be expected since we choose not to operate from expensive retail premises.

 

We show work where and when best suits our clients

 

We show work by appointment in London, Oxfordshire or elsewhere. Quite a number of our clients lead hectic professional lives and find it more convenient to view a work in their office or home, at a time of their choosing – at no cost, with no obligation to purchase. All works can subsequently be shipped and insured to any location in the world.

 

We can offer flexible payment options

 

We recognise that some clients wish to phase the cost of purchase and we are happy to discuss any reasonable request.

 

We offer advice and buy as well as sell

 

We are always pleased to advise clients who wish to start or build their collections or to act directly on a client’s behalf to locate work by a particular artist in the UK or internationally.  We make no charge for this service unless otherwise agreed in writing or if a client wishes us to buy on their behalf. 

We are also happy to consider buying work direct from clients, either on our own account or by arranging its sale at the most appropriate auction house.

 

 

Please note that Mr Noel-Johnson is suffering from a serious medical condition and may not therefore be able to respond to enquiries as quickly as he would like.

 

 

We believe that integrity makes sound business sense

 

We believe that all clients should expect us to operate to the highest professional standards and to provide a knowledgeable, efficient, discreet, and personal service, as well as an interesting and enjoyable experience.

 

We’re always happy to help

 

We welcome enquiries from both new and experienced private collectors, corporate collectors and institutional bodies and are always happy ‘to talk pictures’ and give advice - as we hope is self-evident from the quality of Useful Information on this website.

 

 

We add works on a very regular basis and we will be happy to add you to our Email Alert should you so wish.  We also welcome any comments as to how we can continue to enhance our service.

 

 

We look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

Chris Noel-Johnson
Albany Fine Art