Tech firm reveals portal progress
US tech firm Ronati’s e-commerce management system for dealers to manage stock has agreed partnerships with 15 dealer portals. Recent names added include LAPADA, Antiques.co.uk, 2Covet, The Bruno Effect, Decorative Collective and Hoarde Vintage.
Dealer Mark Hill, Ronati’s UK managing director, said: “This system off loads the uploading for dealers. Inventory is centralised then syndicated to different marketplaces. Dealers want to be on more than one marketplace and this enables them to keep their stock up-to-date on more than one site without the time-consuming administration.”
The firm currently has around $7m of managed inventory in its system with around 55 dealers using the system, 42 in the process of using it and 120 on the waiting list.
Award for young female artists
The Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA) has launched a competition to offer a full 12-month membership for five young women who work in the visual art world.
It is sponsored by Martin Miller’s Gin and coincides with the celebration of the fifth anniversary of AWITA. The winners will be announced at AWITA’s anniversary celebrations in London on November 22.
Apply here: awita.london/applicationformmmg
Warrington joins law firm art team
Petra Warrington of Charles Russell Speechlys.
Law firm Charles Russell Speechlys has hired Petra Warrington in its Art & Luxury practice. Warrington is a specialist art and luxury lawyer with a wide range of litigation experience involving the ownership, provenance, condition and authenticity of art, antiques and other luxury assets. She previously worked with Hunters Law.
Trade rallies round for dealer Philbey
Friends and colleagues of antiques dealer Steve Philbey, who runs Antiques on Sea, have rallied to help his family following his diagnosis of terminal cancer this month. He held a sale of his stock at his shop on Tower Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, near Hastings as well as an auction.
The trade bought many of his items and donated money to the funding page set up by his friend Danny Wood. Dealers and friends have so far donated more than £120,000.
Philbey, 41, announced on Instagram his “devastating” news and said that he “regrettably does not have any life insurance”. Following the response from the trade Wood said: “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to you all for what you have all done for Steve and his family.”
The fundraising page is at gofundme.com/f/steve-philbey-terminal-cancer-fund
Stockton is a fresh face in Stowmarket
Steve Stockton has joined Bishop & Miller.
Stowmarket auction house Bishop & Miller has expanded its team of specialist valuers.
Steven Stockton has joined as a paintings specialist covering the Eastern region. He has previously worked at Tennants and Bonhams.
His appointment follows former Bonhams specialist David Houlston who joined earlier this year as a specialist consultant for period oak (ATG No 2507).
Oliver Miller said the firm is expanding its auctions and now holds 100 across the year from jewellery and watches to toys, military and music.
Frieze gears up for new Korea move
Events and fair organiser Frieze has appointed Patrick Lee as director of Frieze Seoul. The first Korean staging is planned for September 2-5, 2022 at Coex in the Gangnam District of the city. In this position Pat will work closely with Minju Kweon, who has been appointed to the new role of head of VIP relations, Asia.
Lee has more than 15 years experience working in the arts, most recently as executive director of Gallery Hyundai in Seoul. Launching in partnership with the Galleries Association of Korea, the new fair will run alongside Kiaf Art Seoul.
Two stereoscopy fans, one vision
Brian May and Denis Pellerin.
Rock star and Queen guitarist Brian May is an avid Victorian photographica collector and has one of the largest collections of Victorian stereo (3-D) photographs in the world. Next month he is releasing a new book – Stereoscopy: the Dawn of 3-D – written by art historian Denis Pellerin and edited by May.
The book, which charts Victorian life through unseen stereo photos from May’s archive, is released next month.
May and Pellerin are also taking part in a talk on the book with the British Library, hosted at King’s College.
For more information on the November 10 event visit The British Library website.
The book is out on the same day and and available for order from shop.londonstereo.com.
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1 How a studio sale can transform the market
2 Orientalist painting authenticated on Fake or Fortune? heads to auction at Sotheby’s
3 Yorkshire Museum buys Ryedale Roman bronzes from London dealer with help from wealthy donor
4 Bidders ponder riddle of the Sphinx statues
5 Whitefriars glass vase from the collection of an English pop impresario is among six lots to watch
In Numbers
£7
The price of a cappuccino at Frieze Masters fair. Andrew Ellis, director of Art UK, was among the visitors who expressed their shock at the prices of beverages at Frieze and Frieze Masters. He posted on Instagram an image of Arnold Böcklin’s Shield with the head of Medusa from the stand of Stuart Lochhead to demonstrate his reaction to his “petrifying bill”.
