Mark Fraser, Chairman of Bonhams Australia, is leading the charge onto his home-turf in Melbourne The company’s new Melbourne office is located in the landmark heritage building, Ormond Hall which has been used for fine art and antique auctions on an occasional basis in past years. Sotheby's, under Anne Roberts, and before the move to their recently vacated premises at 926 High Street Armadale were regular hirers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Since setting up offices in Sydney in 2010, all Bonhams Australian sales have been held in Sydney, with Melbourne restricted to viewings at Como in South Yarra. With the move to permanent premises in Melbourne, Bonhams have scheduled half their regular sales for 2013 to Melbourne. These are Aboriginal Art, Fine European Furniture, Decorative Arts & Asian Art and Fine Jewellery. The remainder of their regular sales will be held in Sydney in November.
Joining Mark Fraser in the new office is one of Australia’s foremost Decorative Arts specialists, Jennifer Gibson. Her move signals Bonhams’ ambitions to expand its profile in Melbourne, and consolidate its growing dominance of the Decorative Arts and Furniture sector.
Gibson, who departed Sotheby’s on good terms, predicts a greater scope for her expertise at Bonhams.
“I felt Bonhams had a really solid commitment to my area. When you look at their sales worldwide, they have an enormous cross-section of what I deal with. They are running Decorative Arts and Furniture sales across the globe every other day.”
With the expansion into Melbourne, the recent announcement that Bonhams has secured the sale of the Grundy Collection, and the presence of some of Australia’s most experienced auction personnel at the helm, Bonhams is positioning itself as one of the biggest players in the market.
As Gibson puts it: “Bonhams recognises that Melbourne and Sydney are Australia’s two preeminent auction centres. They need a stronger presence in Melbourne, and that’s the strategy behind opening an office here, and getting me on board.”
