Curating art for private homes is the latest extension of the cultural tsunami sweeping the globe. Luxury properties are now invariably furnished with vast canvases, glass cases housing exquisite antiques, bespoke carpets, sofas, lights and sculptures. Transforming a property into a sort of domesticated Museum of Modern Art goes hand in hand with evidence that the prices of properties near important museums and galleries are soaring.
“Using art as part of a marketing strategy, particularly for high-end homes, has become widespread across the globe,” says Georgina Adam, author of Big Bucks: the Explosion of the Art Market. “But some of the works may just be on loan.”
Based in London’s Belgravia, Luminaire Arts is just one of the capital’s many dealers now renting art for this purpose. The firm boldly claims that their original artworks assist clients to sell the homes as many high-net-worth individuals want a turnkey package.
Many estate agents say this is particularly true for their UAE-based clients who don’t want the inconvenience of styling a second (or third) home. Last year Strutt & Parker sold a house furnished with loaned artworks in Eaton Square to a Middle Eastern client who insisted he would only take it “lock, stock and barrel” even though the art was not originally for sale. The seller came to an arrangement and agreed, as the value of the art was minor compared to the £30-million (about Dh137.7 million) price tag on the home.
Hiring art works both ways — the gallery is able to get a classy extension where it can show work for free while the interior designer or developer acquires a luxury look for a small investment. If the artworks are sold as part of the deal everyone is happy: artists are paid, galleries receive a commission and a client who has never even heard of Michelangelo gets the kudos for appearing cultured.
It’s not only paintings and sculpture that interior designers hire: Lalique has lent glassworks and Steinway — whose pianos are works of art in themselves — regularly loan self-playing grands.
Nicholas and Ben Wilson, of Residence One, who work in London’s prime areas and were financed by the Bank of London and The Middle East borrow art from galleries such as Cadogan Contemporary and often commission work. “We have become art dealers by default,” says Ben.
Most of the art used to dress properties is decorative. Designers prefer abstract paintings, particularly when they are working with Emirati clients. At Art Dubai this spring, many stands were showing contemporary works of calligraphy to cater for the burgeoning market. Birds and animal paintings, popular in the West, are less in demand — unless, it seems, they feature birds of prey and thoroughbred horses.
Strutt & Parker partner Lulu Egerton, who attended Christie’s Dubai sale of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art last month, says there is a huge appetite for the works by rising stars of the Arab world. Many purchases will be destined for the interiors of local homes. “As the UK affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, we enjoy a close relationship with the auction house, which has played a huge part in informing and refining taste. We have seen a definite move away from the bling.”
The very rich, as Nick Candy once observed, don’t have time to walk up and down stairs let alone decide what art to buy. There are, however, plenty of people happy to do it for them. Dubai-based branches of Sotheby’s and Christie’s advise Middle Eastern purchasers on how to make up a collection, while in London there are numerous consultants on hand. “Fully dressed houses seem to be the norm with business people from the Gulf,” says Nick Campbell, Founder of Narcissus Interiors. “More often than not figurative art is a no-go.”
Jake Russell, a director at central London agency Russell Simpson, has also noticed the changing tastes of Middle Eastern buyers. “Emirati purchasers want refined and unusual pieces of art, such as iconic first-hand prints. A £30-million home we are currently selling on Tregunter Road has rare and unique works of art and several clients have said this art curation has piqued their interest.”
Far from an afterthought, art has become an integral part of the design process. The sheer weight and size of some works are a major consideration for architects. Joe Burns, MD of interior design firm Oliver Burns, even says art has become “the building blocks of a home”.
“From reinforced floors to freight elevators to bear the weight of heavy paintings, the architectural fabric of the building is now carefully considered to best accommodate the needs of an aspiring art collector.”
