Learning The Fine Art Of Auctions
The Age
Saturday June 14, 2008
Paul Sumner, 41, art and antiques dealer, auctioneer and director of Mossgreen.
I'M ORIGINALLY from England, where my parents were art dealers. By the time I overcame the adolescent urge to avoid following my parents' career paths - and after helping them in their gallery in Bath - I was ready to serve my apprenticeship at an art auction house in Bristol. Much like here in Australia now, there were no commercial art tertiary courses in England. If you want to work in this area, most people get their foot in the door of an auction house or gallery and work their way up.I found myself running my first antiques and art auction aged 17 when one of the business partners fell ill; there was nobody else to run the show. I was absolutely terrible but it broke my fear of public speaking and gave me a very early start.I was offered a job a year later in the west country of England with a fantastic tutor who taught me everything about the business. Given how niche it is, it was just what I needed.In 1987, aged 20, I was given an incredible opportunity to help manage the Australian company Rushton's Fine Art, learning about the Australian market, which was followed by an opportunity to work at Christie's.Two years later I was offered a directorship at Sotheby's Australia. Two years after that I was appointed general manager, and one year later I became its managing director - a position I held from 1997-2001. I moved to London to take up the position of managing director of Sotheby's at the Olympia Exhibition Building in Hammersmith, where I had 400 staff and had to build a state-of-the-art Sotheby's auction house from an empty shell. We opened four days after September 11. When the US market died overnight, it left us losing +pound+6million in the first six months. The business finally turned a profit two years later.I returned to Australia in 2004 and opened my own gallery and auction house, Mossgreen, in 2005. There are lots of art galleries in Melbourne and about 10art auction houses but no one else has combined the two.The nature of auctions has changed from big crowds to smaller ones (150-300) and more people bidding from home. We have long telephone bidding tables with calls coming in from Australia and around the world during an auction.I conduct all Mossgreen's auctions, selling about 100 to 150 lots an hour. It's an exciting business where you need a sense of humour and endurance. I took myself to a drama teacher to learn breathing and techniques so I could stand up there without collapsing.With bidders often trying to buy for less money than you hope to sell for, the auctions involve juggling opposing purposes, all while showing and watching body language. There's a lot of psychology involved: while you want to encourage people to bid, you don't want to intimidate them.I don't enjoy the hours and it's not an easy business to be profitable in - which is why Christie's has pulled out of Australia and Joel's, the family-owned Melbourne auction house, recently sold to Bonhams and Goodman. I've learned not to worry about marketshare being the most important thing. Having run Sotheby's, which was number-one market shareholder in Australia, there's no great thrill at that level. It's important to do what you do exceptionally well.Even with a related degree, don't be too proud to start at the bottom, earning $40,000-$50,000. The rewards are there if you're patient but they might take five to 10 years to arrive. Ultimately you either have to work for yourself or have equity in a business to do well. Dealing in art and antiques is very much a people business, with a lot of passions at play. Many buyers see the items on offer as the thumbprints of our society, which is why they want to collect. You need to be open to learning, know when to go to a consultant, and have a friendly, outgoing and non-arrogant demeanour. -- MARCELLA BIDINOST
© 2008 The Age
