Not long after I returned to Leonard Joel, almost exactly a decade ago, I began to describe this exciting marketplace as an economy of beautiful things and interesting people. I am therefore thrilled to advise that, to celebrate our centenary, we have self-published a history of Leonard Joel in words, imagery and stories that we believe encapsulates the diverse nature of our specialties, the buyers and sellers that find our way to us, the things that ultimately take us on a journey with our clients and the stories that accompany them.
This process of discovery, history-sharing and storytelling with both sellers and collectors, is the career motif of the auctioneer and it is what makes our world, for me anyway, endlessly fascinating and enriching. And now with 100 years of auctions almost behind us, it is this thrill of discovery, these objects and collections, and their stories that have made our journey so interesting and, in turn, provided the inspiration to our centenary publication.
Throughout the publication we present a feast of imagery, from established collecting categories through to the newer ones; the categories of the future and the ones we are as excitedly committed to as the new collectors that covet them. The reader will also notice that we decided not to represent any sales that celebrated either elephant ivory or rhinoceros horn. Acknowledging that our world is as much about the people that collect as the objects they covet, we interspersed four unique collecting stories, stories from both clients and friends of Leonard Joel that to us represent a collecting spirit that is as timeless as it is new. And finally, the book is framed by four chapters that have been produced by respected writer and editor Ray Gill who took us on a less conventional path in recording and celebrating a centenary of Leonard Joel.
The book will be available on-site at Leonard Joel Melbourne and Sydney, and at select bookstores in Melbourne from 19 October. 100% of proceeds will be donated to the two causes we, as an organisation, are most passionate about; Arts Project Australia and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
I do hope you enjoy the read and with the knowledge that your purchase is supporting great civic and conservation causes.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you all to a special Centenary Exhibition and Book Launch at Leonard Joel Melbourne on 19 October, 10am-4pm.
JOHN ALBRECHT
Managing Director & Head of Private Collections
Centenary Exhibition & Book Launch
19 October, 10am-4pm
33 Malvern Road, South Yarra VIC 3141