INTERVIEW | JULIAN PAGE
How did you get involved in the art world?
I grew up in a very cultural home that was also a private art gallery, by appointment. This fostered a love of art, albeit one that I was not consciously aware of for some time. I have always been fascinated by different forms of creativity, be it music, art, film, dance, literature or theatre and the way that they overlap with each other. After spending several mostly fruitless years working in the film world, I sold my first artwork- a Bridget Riley print- and realised that there was a career to be made from my passion for art.
Tell us a little about Julian Page Ltd…
Established in London in 2008, Julian Page Ltd deals in Modern and Contemporary Art, representing artists, publishing art books and specialising in prints. We work closely with the Bridget Riley Studio on worldwide print sales. As well as exhibiting, buying and selling artworks, we take works on consignment and show at selected art fairs. We have always shown the contemporary artists that we work with alongside some of the most famous artists of the 20th/21st Century. Alongside solo shows, exhibitions thus tend to incorporate a mixture of primary and secondary market work, as you will see later this month at the British Art Fair.
I understand this is your first time at British Art Fair. Are you excited by the prospect?
I am excited at the prospect of showing work in such a fine space: the walls, floor and lighting at Saatchi are great for making art look its best. I am also looking forward to showing alongside esteemed colleagues in a focussed fair that concentrates on a particular era and location.
Who are you planning to show?
I will be showing paintings and prints by my artists Marcelle Hanselaar, Alexander Massouras and Kate McCrickard, alongside works by Richard Hamilton, David Hockney, Paula Rego and Bridget Riley and perhaps a few more artists, if I can find the space!
Which do you think is the ‘boldest’ of those choices?
Marcelle Hanselaar, although Kate McCrickard's work is getting increasingly bold! Going further back in time, Hockney's many 1960's depictions of homosexual love and lust were painted before the acts shown were legalised in 1967. Conceptually, Bridget Riley's startling switch from colourful figuration to monochrome abstraction at the start of that same decade was similarly bold.
You’re also involved in publishing art books related to your practice. How’s that going?
I LOVE publishing art books. The artists that I work with have such a strong, overarching sense of their vision that very little is required for me to contribute, save the odd suggestion, but publishing is always an enjoyable collaboration. Furthermore, as someone who loves prints, printmaking and editioning for its ability to send an artwork out in the world many times to many different places, art books are ideal for disseminating the work(s) that they illustrate. We often talk about the art books we publish as being an advance guard in getting the images out into the world in front of as many different eyes as possible.
What’s your favourite public gallery, and why?
The Galleria Borghese in Rome. I have only been once, when on honeymoon many years ago. It felt like the perfect public art gallery: great location, slightly out of the way, beautiful building, a lean, compact collection full of exquisite artworks. Furthermore, advance reservations are compulsory, guest numbers are strictly limited, and visits are limited to two hours, so time inside is precious!
If you were cast away, which single artwork would you want as company on your desert island?
Las Meninas by Velazquez. Aside from being my favourite painting, it would be nice to have some company on the island and there are plenty of characters in this work. A perfect cure for loneliness: a picture to regard and be regarded by!
Julian Page will be at Stand 20 on the Ground Floor of the British Art Fair.