INDEPENDENCE | PROTECTION | DISCRETION | EXPERTISE
17 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4HP
T. +44 (0)20 7493 2662
F. +44 (0)20 7493 1661
London W1S 4HP
T. +44 (0)20 7493 2662
F. +44 (0)20 7493 1661
SELECTED PRESS
Seymours profile
The Guardian
view
You too can have access to a masterpiece
FT Weekend Money
view
Camera masterpieces put sector in focus
FT
view
Master the Art of Profiting from Pictures
The Sunday Times
view
Artful Investment
moneyextra.com
view
Seymours profile
The Guardian
view
You too can have access to a masterpiece
FT Weekend Money
view
Camera masterpieces put sector in focus
FT
view
Master the Art of Profiting from Pictures
The Sunday Times
view
Artful Investment
moneyextra.com
view
Seymours profile
The Guardian
Far from making an important artistic statement, the office walls of Seymour's art consultancy reveal absolutely nothing about Spencer Ewen's taste in art; they are, in fact, completely bare. I am surprised, but Ewen quickly explains that his London office has not taken minimalism to an extreme. It's just that they have recently moved, and what's worse, the computers are down. Let's retire for tea at Brown's.
The world of high-flying art dealers, super-rich clients, celebrity artists and intimidating auction houses tends to preclude ordinary mortals. "I think the art world gives itself a veneer of mystique intentionally," Ewen admits. So, settling in, he begins to enlighten me. "We are, ultimately, facilitators. We provide independence. We act purely for the client without any interest. A dealer, first and foremost, has their stock; but we don't have that tie with any particular item. The primary person we try to please is the client and we do that by accessing the right things at the right prices."
So, I inquire, would he be interested in advising me how to spend £1,000? "No," he replies resolutely. "We work with people who have a lot of money." £20,000? He looks unimpressed. OK, £50,000 then: "£50,000 is about the entry level. The socio-economic group is generally very successful businessmen in the 35- to 55-year-old bracket." Have money, need taste? "We are not taste arbiters. If anybody does that, interior designers do. We need to find things that people like first." Using his knowledge of art, his contacts and auction room acumen Ewen enables his clients to purchase top of the market art. "Auction houses can be very daunting. People are scared to ask questions, I mean, you're scared of being made to look a fool." Seymour's preserves the anonymity of its clients by bidding on their behalf. "At the moment we're trying to source a set of Warhols from the US for a client." Ewen also tells me he will shortly be "going to see a successful businessman who is interested in enhancing his collection".
He shies away from being too specific about the client, or the name of another artwork he is currently after: "It would jeopardise our chances." This is exactly the way the art world is shrouded in mystery. That and the giddy millions we hear have exchanged hands.
Wearing the purple V-neck his wife bought him for Christmas over a smart pair of trousers, Ewen is well-groomed but not flashy. At 40, he falls in the same age bracket as many of his clients and, being personable, his forte is forging relationships with them. "I'm a massive generalist," he accepts. "I know a little bit about a lot and I think I have the best job in the world. If you're as interested in art as I am it's a cream job. I'm also a very social animal so I have the fun of the relationship with the client. But I also have the intellectual enjoyment of listening in, putting my oar in when appropriate and being told to shut up by the specialists."
It was a love of art rather than a love of money that inspired him. Does he believe his clients share the same ideals? "Not many of our clients are motivated purely by investment. There is an appetite for investment, but private investors need liquidity and you can't always provide that in the art world, so for the majority, their primary focus is on an enjoyable relationship and value for money."
But value for money in the art world isn't an exact science, he says. "You can have four valuers in a room with a piece of art and get four different values. So, for most private individuals it makes sense to get an independent view. In an unregulated market you want someone on your side and that's where we come in.
"There is a hunger at the moment among wealthy individuals to acquire, but that's always been the case - look at the Medicis. People want to make a statement." Value for money may also mean playing safe by buying only bankable names, although Ewen says he and his team of specialists do not entirely bypass emerging artists. "We do have people that are interested in patronising young, emerging artists, so we actively seek them out. There are clients who are interested purely for investment and clients purely for aesthetic reasons; we also have clients all the way between the two. But under £5,000 it is extremely difficult because it becomes subjective. There is less objectivity below £5,000."
But if you like something does it really matter what the price is? "That's the first and last thing we always say," agrees Ewen, "but that's not necessarily what makes an artist bankable."
So, does price reflect quality? "No, absolutely not." Ewen replies, and then pauses. "Let me qualify that: in the contemporary sector, absolutely not. In artists' works where you have seen their progression and how they've traded over a number of years, then I think the art market is getting more exact in how it prices things. Price dictates what the market can do with art. There's perfectly fantastic art by emerging artists who you can pay £250 for that will give you joy for the rest of your life."
Ewen has seen a lot of art. He began by teaching art history before joining a London fine art consultancy, which he left seven years ago to set up Seymour's. "There's a point in an artist's life where they either go that way," he points upwards, "or that way," indicating the floor.
But, I ask, don't they often go down until they die and then up? Look at Alfred Wallis who died in the workhouse, for example. "Or Van Gogh," Ewen agrees. "But I don't think that's to do with the art world being remiss. I seem to remember Wallis had no wish to become a celebrity. He enjoyed painting for the sake of painting.
"There's a lot of artists who are very well celebrated in their lifetime and that's because they play the game of art. The game being working with dealers, getting out there and publicising yourself. There's undoubtedly a game and that's what we protect our clients from. There are some artists out there who you can happily pay £150,000 for and you try to sell it the next day and you'd be lucky to get £1,000. It's all hype." Such considerations are the stuff of Ewen's working life.
Ewen's career has been influenced by his father, Richard, now 78, a lifelong painter. "I understood that people could be utterly devoted to art because I grew up with someone who did nothing else but paint pictures, read books and play tennis. I think he's a very talented and brilliant artist." But his father is a good example of how a talented artist can remain largely unrecognised. "My father's an island, he's never interacted with the art world, he just loves art."
Ewen seems to have inherited his business sense from his mother, who acted as her husband's dealer. "I don't think my father would have necessarily achieved what he did without mum. I fought art until I was 16 and then I suddenly realised I loved it." A brilliant art teacher, Trevor Boyd, at Sherborne School gave Ewen "an understanding of technique, and explained to me the passion that is in art. If you're going to be an art historian as I am you ideally need to have done some painting and drawing yourself. Only by doing that do you understand how bloody difficult the whole thing is." Gallery openings and meetings with clients can eat into Ewen's early evenings, but his wife has been "very supportive", particularly so when Ewen decided to set up business alone exactly at the same time that they had their first child.
"I found being a father a huge shock to the system; probably naivety was the cause of that. When I was married I envisaged I'd be the centre of my wife's world forever so I reacted in a bad way but ironically through that period I was setting up Seymour's and what made things all right was that I had it to channel my energies into." Luckily, Ewen's wife "never once" questioned his wisdom.
We leave the cosy confines of Brown's for the streets around the Royal Academy. As we turn into a gallery I get a taste of what it is to be a player in the art world. Ewen spots a Ben Nicholson painting, something he's been on the lookout for. Unfortunately, it is on loan only. He pulls out his card and hands it to the assistant. He doesn't need to, she confirms he's already on their list and yes, they certainly will contact him should another become available. It's a niche world and Ewen is operating close to the epicentre.
Saturday, January 27th, 2007
The Guardian
Far from making an important artistic statement, the office walls of Seymour's art consultancy reveal absolutely nothing about Spencer Ewen's taste in art; they are, in fact, completely bare. I am surprised, but Ewen quickly explains that his London office has not taken minimalism to an extreme. It's just that they have recently moved, and what's worse, the computers are down. Let's retire for tea at Brown's.
The world of high-flying art dealers, super-rich clients, celebrity artists and intimidating auction houses tends to preclude ordinary mortals. "I think the art world gives itself a veneer of mystique intentionally," Ewen admits. So, settling in, he begins to enlighten me. "We are, ultimately, facilitators. We provide independence. We act purely for the client without any interest. A dealer, first and foremost, has their stock; but we don't have that tie with any particular item. The primary person we try to please is the client and we do that by accessing the right things at the right prices."
So, I inquire, would he be interested in advising me how to spend £1,000? "No," he replies resolutely. "We work with people who have a lot of money." £20,000? He looks unimpressed. OK, £50,000 then: "£50,000 is about the entry level. The socio-economic group is generally very successful businessmen in the 35- to 55-year-old bracket." Have money, need taste? "We are not taste arbiters. If anybody does that, interior designers do. We need to find things that people like first." Using his knowledge of art, his contacts and auction room acumen Ewen enables his clients to purchase top of the market art. "Auction houses can be very daunting. People are scared to ask questions, I mean, you're scared of being made to look a fool." Seymour's preserves the anonymity of its clients by bidding on their behalf. "At the moment we're trying to source a set of Warhols from the US for a client." Ewen also tells me he will shortly be "going to see a successful businessman who is interested in enhancing his collection".
He shies away from being too specific about the client, or the name of another artwork he is currently after: "It would jeopardise our chances." This is exactly the way the art world is shrouded in mystery. That and the giddy millions we hear have exchanged hands.
Wearing the purple V-neck his wife bought him for Christmas over a smart pair of trousers, Ewen is well-groomed but not flashy. At 40, he falls in the same age bracket as many of his clients and, being personable, his forte is forging relationships with them. "I'm a massive generalist," he accepts. "I know a little bit about a lot and I think I have the best job in the world. If you're as interested in art as I am it's a cream job. I'm also a very social animal so I have the fun of the relationship with the client. But I also have the intellectual enjoyment of listening in, putting my oar in when appropriate and being told to shut up by the specialists."
It was a love of art rather than a love of money that inspired him. Does he believe his clients share the same ideals? "Not many of our clients are motivated purely by investment. There is an appetite for investment, but private investors need liquidity and you can't always provide that in the art world, so for the majority, their primary focus is on an enjoyable relationship and value for money."
But value for money in the art world isn't an exact science, he says. "You can have four valuers in a room with a piece of art and get four different values. So, for most private individuals it makes sense to get an independent view. In an unregulated market you want someone on your side and that's where we come in.
"There is a hunger at the moment among wealthy individuals to acquire, but that's always been the case - look at the Medicis. People want to make a statement." Value for money may also mean playing safe by buying only bankable names, although Ewen says he and his team of specialists do not entirely bypass emerging artists. "We do have people that are interested in patronising young, emerging artists, so we actively seek them out. There are clients who are interested purely for investment and clients purely for aesthetic reasons; we also have clients all the way between the two. But under £5,000 it is extremely difficult because it becomes subjective. There is less objectivity below £5,000."
But if you like something does it really matter what the price is? "That's the first and last thing we always say," agrees Ewen, "but that's not necessarily what makes an artist bankable."
So, does price reflect quality? "No, absolutely not." Ewen replies, and then pauses. "Let me qualify that: in the contemporary sector, absolutely not. In artists' works where you have seen their progression and how they've traded over a number of years, then I think the art market is getting more exact in how it prices things. Price dictates what the market can do with art. There's perfectly fantastic art by emerging artists who you can pay £250 for that will give you joy for the rest of your life."
Ewen has seen a lot of art. He began by teaching art history before joining a London fine art consultancy, which he left seven years ago to set up Seymour's. "There's a point in an artist's life where they either go that way," he points upwards, "or that way," indicating the floor.
But, I ask, don't they often go down until they die and then up? Look at Alfred Wallis who died in the workhouse, for example. "Or Van Gogh," Ewen agrees. "But I don't think that's to do with the art world being remiss. I seem to remember Wallis had no wish to become a celebrity. He enjoyed painting for the sake of painting.
"There's a lot of artists who are very well celebrated in their lifetime and that's because they play the game of art. The game being working with dealers, getting out there and publicising yourself. There's undoubtedly a game and that's what we protect our clients from. There are some artists out there who you can happily pay £150,000 for and you try to sell it the next day and you'd be lucky to get £1,000. It's all hype." Such considerations are the stuff of Ewen's working life.
Ewen's career has been influenced by his father, Richard, now 78, a lifelong painter. "I understood that people could be utterly devoted to art because I grew up with someone who did nothing else but paint pictures, read books and play tennis. I think he's a very talented and brilliant artist." But his father is a good example of how a talented artist can remain largely unrecognised. "My father's an island, he's never interacted with the art world, he just loves art."
Ewen seems to have inherited his business sense from his mother, who acted as her husband's dealer. "I don't think my father would have necessarily achieved what he did without mum. I fought art until I was 16 and then I suddenly realised I loved it." A brilliant art teacher, Trevor Boyd, at Sherborne School gave Ewen "an understanding of technique, and explained to me the passion that is in art. If you're going to be an art historian as I am you ideally need to have done some painting and drawing yourself. Only by doing that do you understand how bloody difficult the whole thing is." Gallery openings and meetings with clients can eat into Ewen's early evenings, but his wife has been "very supportive", particularly so when Ewen decided to set up business alone exactly at the same time that they had their first child.
"I found being a father a huge shock to the system; probably naivety was the cause of that. When I was married I envisaged I'd be the centre of my wife's world forever so I reacted in a bad way but ironically through that period I was setting up Seymour's and what made things all right was that I had it to channel my energies into." Luckily, Ewen's wife "never once" questioned his wisdom.
We leave the cosy confines of Brown's for the streets around the Royal Academy. As we turn into a gallery I get a taste of what it is to be a player in the art world. Ewen spots a Ben Nicholson painting, something he's been on the lookout for. Unfortunately, it is on loan only. He pulls out his card and hands it to the assistant. He doesn't need to, she confirms he's already on their list and yes, they certainly will contact him should another become available. It's a niche world and Ewen is operating close to the epicentre.
Saturday, January 27th, 2007