Pretty much all of my business has come to me by word of mouth. We were recently referred a couple who are good friends of a client with whom we have worked for some years, himself a well-known British businessman. I went to visit the prospective clients at their home in Shropshire on a cold October day in 2016, and was met – through the fog – by the most beautiful Georgian mansion. Bounding out of the door came the prospective clients, a couple who have made a huge success of an industrial enterprise that they had built from scratch and who are now ready to enjoy its rewards. It is important in an initial meeting that I talk to the clients and that they talk to me in an honest and open way so that we establish whether we might work together well, whether they will put the time into developing their knowledge and taste of the art market and whether I will be able to fulfil their brief. After confirmation of their desire to work with me on this project, I am looking forward to working with them on it.

When a family has not been born into wealth, it can be very difficult for them to navigate the market – to decipher what period and style of art they are drawn to, to develop that taste, to understand how the art market operates, to understand prices and to feel empowered enough to have an opinion. I spend a lot of time with families to help them navigate through the opaqueness of the art industry with a view to ensuring that the finished result is a collection that will be meaningful and life affirming for them.