Panter & Hall Decorative specialises in 20th century paintings & original prints, especially Mid-century modern Scandinavian & European works of art. They are a regular source for interior designers & decorators internationally.
Could you give us an introduction to Panter & Hall Decorative?
“Panter & Hall Decorative is a division of our main gallery, which is basically a contemporary art gallery based in London’s West End. We started this side of the business about 10 years ago. Partially from our initial stands we did at the [Decorative] Fair, our business has grown from the various years we have spent here. This particular end of the business specialises in 20th century and Mid-century British and Continental painting, a lot of our works now comes from the Nordic countries, from Sweden, from Denmark and Norway. What the Swedish art offers is a very 20th century and Mid-century aesthetic that is very sympathetic to British taste and is very much along the lines of modern British painting, but at frankly zero less on the price. We often appeal to interior decorators who want a re large project who are filling a house or a restaurant or a particular set of club rooms, with paintings. At this level of the Swedish market you get fabulous quality, genuine authentic paintings and you’re paying remarkably little for them really, they’re still tremendously good value.”
What draws you to a painting?
“Every dealer has a very distinctive taste and there is no right or wrong with a painting. Most dealers I know would agree on whether it is a good or a bad picture, but we don’t always agree on what we like, which makes it a very interesting and a very diverse industry. I like 1950’s, slightly muted colours, a little bit of semi-abstraction, very much the post-war aesthetic. The 1950’s and 60’s. Again that is what we find in a lot of the Swedish paintings and there are thousands of paintings in Sweden that I am instantly drawn to and end up buying far too many every year.”
Do you have any tips for a new customers and collectors?
“I’m afraid it’s a terrible cliché. Just buy what you like. The great thing about buying artwork under £20,000 – £30,000, is that frankly it doesn’t matter. You can buy things at £400 – £500 for really lovely quality. Forget about the name. At our end of the market we go entirely on quality and image. If you buy something you love and you know you’re going to live with for the rest of your life, you’re supposed to get an enormous amount of pleasure out of it. It’s what painting is about. Often clients come back to us year on year and they always talk about the painting they missed, one picture that they either dithered over or couldn’t quite stretch to at the time, the mistake is always not buying it because you will just regret it. Buy something fabulous.”
Available on Shop Decorative
