Celebrating their thirtieth year of business, WA’s premier Antique and Fine Art gallery, Lauder and Howard, has moved to a glamorous 1960’s building in Fremantle.
Designed by Perth architects, Forbes Fitzhardinge in 1964 and originally occupied by Robert Laurie marine providores, the building has been restored to its former glory and filled with beautiful antiques.
The first of Lauder and Howard’s annual exhibitions of paintings and objects d’art opened on June 27 and was a great success despite a tough economic climate.
‘People are much more cautious, but what they’re choosing to buy is the best possible quality,’ said Lauder and Howard general manager, Matthew Lucas.
Best-selling pieces included a pair of 1662 marriage portraits by the major Dutch painter, Pieter Nason, whose work is displayed in the art galleries of Berlin, Cologne, Copenhagen, London and New York.
Another gem snapped-up was an original soviet propaganda poster.
‘It’s big and it’s original. Its been folded up for a few years but these things- like Chinese propaganda posters- are so reproduced these days that it’s hard to find the original one,’ said Mr Lucas.
‘You take a gamble with things like that in a small market like Perth but people just want the best they can possibly get at the moment.’
When choosing antiques, people should always be guided by their own personal taste and avoid purchasing something purely in the hopes that it will increase in value.
‘Ultimately, if it’s a piece that you’re going to live with then it has to be aesthetically pleasing. You’ve got to really love it and want to see it every day,’ said Mr Lucas.
Art Deco pieces are particularly popular at the moment and Lauder and Howard are always scouting for more.
‘The things at the moment that we could have sold 100 times over are really good art-deco sideboards. Really top-quality, beautiful ones, usually French and made of ebony. They’re very hard to find and they don’t crop up often.
‘We also have a French, Art Deco wrought-iron console table with a marble top and we could have sold that a thousand times. So we’re definitely trying to find other variations.
‘Across the board I think people are not buying based on fashion at this point, given the whole crisis. They’re really trusting their instincts and buying really good things that they’re going to use and love.’
Lauder and Howard
17 Blanco St Fremantle
9339 1120
www.lauderandhoward.com.au
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