Growing up on Auckland’s North Shore, Peter Webb first took a role at Auckland Art Gallery in the mid 1950s as a Gallery Assistant under the Directorship of Eric Westbrook and alongside Colin McCahon.
He launched Auckland’s first dealer gallery in a shoe box sized space in Argus House, Lorne Street, central Auckland where he held shows of Colin McCahon and Rita Angus’ works. A life-time interest in fine art publishing was launched with the publication of several lithographic editions by McCahon.
A change of direction saw Peter working for George Walker’s, general auctioneers, on Auckland's Queen Street. After acquiring a cache of etchings by Trevor Lloyd, he established Auckland’s first specialist fine art and antique auction house, John Cordy's, with a focus on early New Zealand watercolours, Maori artefacts and antiques and slowly but surely contemporary New Zealand paintings.
Peter was attracted back to Auckland Art Gallery, where in 1973 he curated a blockbuster exhibition of works by John Constable and in 1974 he shifted focus again and took a role as the director of Barrington Galleries.
In 1978, the changing artistic climate in Auckland saw Peter Webb Galleries hold the first of what was to become biannual auctions featuring contemporary New Zealand art. Gradually the auction side of the business prospered and more space was needed so in 1979 he moved to the T&G building in the city and during this period he hosted cutting edge exhibitions alongside auctions.
In the early 90s, the business was moved to Manukau Road in Newmarket. By then, well and truly established as the leading Fine Art Auctioneers in Auckland, Peter Webb conducted many prestigious sales and sold marvellous private collections of art and antiques including the Collection of Dr Neville Hogg, a collection of early New Zealand topographical material and The Florence Court Collection of antiques, he achieved a host of record prices and Webb’s was the go-to place for works by leading contemporary and modernist artists.
From the mid 2000s Peter Webb gradually retired from the business and in 2014, Peter and Annie Webb, who had run the business jointly for 25 years, sold their 51% shareholding to Mowbray Collectables.
As they say the rest is history..... art history! The development of Webb’s was critically important in the maturity of the New Zealand market as we know it today. Peter’s passion for New Zealand art, coupled with his belief in its value, truly set him apart from his peers. It was Peter and his vision that raised the bar of the art and specialist auction business to a very high standard in what was, at that time, a fledgling industry.
As change is the only thing that remains the same it has been interesting to graph the fortunes of Webb's auction house since Peter and Annie Webb sold their shares. The business has had a number of owners and a real rollercoaster ride in recent years but it now appears to be in good hands as the new directors are pulling out all the stops to re-establish the Webb's brand and preserve and promote Peter's legacy in what now is a very competitive market place.
Rest in Peace Peter Webb (1933 - 2019), you did a great job in setting the ball rolling and there is no stopping it now!
