Auctions typically are an opportunity for you to be able to acquire what you're looking for at a lower price; typically, the auctioneer sets the opening price at much lower than the retail price and certain interest develops and as more people come in it drives the price up.
We're big believers that people can learn to collect through the eyes of great collectors.
I once termed my sense of dress as 'urban farmer' and that became a perennial source of bullying from my friends, particularly my brother.
There is such opacity within the art market. There's also an abundance of fraud and misrepresented goods, which leads to mistrust between buyers and sellers.
I just love the idea of being able to have a place where friends and family can meet, where you can raise everything from chickens to llamas, and, you know, have an artist residency.
We want as best as possible to encourage emerging talent and galleries by their inclusion on Paddle8. Our exhibitions help bring interesting new works on the platform. We have to be agnostic in that respect and the galleries themselves have complete carte blanche as far as what they include on the site.
I always have my lucky gavel in case I have to do an auction on short notice.
I'm a bit of a vault of secrets. I'm a victim of English reserve, which is slightly in contrast to how I communicate when I auction.
If you're trying to learn how to collect art, the key is getting access to insider opinions, and we pride ourselves on working with the most relevant artists and the collectors with the most authoritative voices.
There is a heavy leaning to try and extract information from me, and I always have to clamp down.
I was a rather tubby youngster, which was a complete surprise to my family.
I spent lots of time on drama, music and art.
In Europe, there is a lower instance of startups because there's a permanent fear of failure. Everyone fears failure because it is this permanent black mark against your name, whereas in the U.S., failure seems to be par for the course.
If I'm in the English countryside and get on my bicycle, I see what sort of strange inbred rural locals I can snap.
A great friend and mentor, Simon de Pury, invited me to be auctioneer at Phillips de Pury, which was a great honor.
I think when you're collecting, the best advice is just 'see see see see.' The more you get used to the nuances of the art world and what people are doing and whose opinion matters, the more you can tune your own collection and know that these are works that do count; these are artists that will be of relevance tomorrow.
My father is someone I've always looked up to as the ultimate example of chivalry and humility, and someone who's just deeply kind and empathetic and selfless.
If I find an item of clothing I like, I tend to buy it in multiples.
I am never without my gavel, which I bought from an antique shop in Burford, in the Cotswolds.
I'm a bit of a dynamite fisherman when it comes to cooking as I don't have the patience, but I am a huge foodie.
