Bonhams Opens New Headquarters in Toronto – A Second North American Property Deal in a Fortnight
Bonhams, the international fine art auction house, announced this week that it has taken premises at 20 Hazelton Ave, in the heart of the city’s art district, which will provide a home for the company’s Canadian HQ.
This news comes one week after the company took a three story property in New York’s IBM building on Madison Ave. The two moves indicate a strong and ongoing commitment to the eastern seaboard of North America, home to the strongest international art market.
Jack Kerr-Wilson, President of Bonhams Canada says: “This new development provides Bonhams with a superb new base that will allow us to display locally sourced art and antiques as well as travelling exhibitions of work being sold elsewhere in the world by Bonhams. With a first sale due this May, in this fantastic heritage building, Toronto joins the rest of the Bonhams family in a suitably elegant and prestigious premises.”
Bonhams now has a presence in 27 countries round the world on four continents and offers expertise in no fewer than 57 separate specialist collecting areas. Recently the company announced that it has achieved record sale of $600m in 2007 boosting sales by over 20% and profits by 45%.
The company holds its first sale in Paris on February 9 and its first sale in Dubai on March 3r and 4th, Toronto will follow in May at a date still to be decided.
Jack Kerr-Wilson will be assisted in Toronto by Office Administrator, Kristin Hayashi from February 6th when the new premises opens its doors to clients. Mr Kerr-Wilson has been with the company since 1978. Bonhams also has a presence in Montreal where the office is headed by David Kelsey.
The full address of the new Bonhams premises is: 20 Hazelton Ave, Toronto, M5R 2E2. Telephone and fax numbers remain the same.
Malcolm Barber, Bonhams CEO in North America comments: “Canada is increasingly a source of fine art and antiques for us. Our international specialists are regularly in the country providing valuations. Now we move up a gear with this excellent facility which will allow us to showcase the best of Bonhams.”
Jack Kerr-Wilson has enjoyed a long and illustrious career in the art and auction industry. Working in London for the eminent Oriental dealers Bluett & Sons and later at Spink & Son in the 1960s, Jack emigrated to Canada in 1973, where he spent the next decade working for the Marlborough Godard Gallery in Montreal and at Ward-Price in Toronto, which was acquired by Phillips in 1978. Jack swiftly rose through the ranks of Phillips Ward-Price Ltd. to become General Manager in 1979, Vice President in 1980, and the following year was appointed President. He left in 1983 to run the Pagurian Gallery in Toronto, owned by Sir Christopher Ondaatje. In 1988 he was asked to return to Phillips as President for Canada, during which time he single-handedly ran two auctions a year between 1988 – 1992 and achieved several world record prices.
Jack took over as President for Bonhams in Canada following the merger with Phillips, and continues to source exceptional items for sale in London, and was responsible for the sale of the Modigliani in June 2004 for £1.4 million.
Jack’s expertise is such that he was one of only two appraisers selected by the Federal Government on behalf of the Public Archives of Canada to be sent to London to value over 7,000 items from the Peter Winkworth Collection, which now rest in the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa.
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- Bonhams First Sale In Canada Totals CAD $1.7-Million
- Canadian Art Attic Discoveries Make Over CAD$250,000 At Bonhams Toronto Sale
- OVER A CENTURY OF CANADIAN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY CROSSES THE AUCTION BLOCK AT ANNUAL SPRING CLASSIC CAR EVENT IN TORONTO
