Johnny Van Haeften began his career in the PR and Stamp Departments at Christie’s, where he discovered a lifelong passion for Dutch Old Masters. He is now the only art dealer in the UK exclusively dedicated to this field, specialising in Dutch and Flemish Old Master paintings of the 16th and 17th Century. A key figure of the art world, Johnny has made his mark, currently serving as a member of the Frieze Masters Selection Committee.
In this interview Johnny shares insights into his life as an art advisor, the essential skills needed for success in this field, as well as fascinating stories of his adventures, including the discovery of a hidden gem.
Where are you based?
JVH: Unlike many dealers, we operate from home with no walk in gallery. We started in 1977 with a gallery on Bond Street in London. In 1982, we then moved to a gallery on Duke Street St James's , but after 35 years we unfortunately couldn’t renew the lease. We are now based at Beaufort House in Richmond in a lovely cottage next door to our home and operate on an appointment only basis.
What does a typical day look like for you as an art advisor?
JHV: I usually start my day with a walk with the dog, and then our first appointments are around 10 am . The visitors are extremely varied, I may have a dealer from Vienna that has come to see a specific picture or quite often our visitors will have seen a work on the internet and come to us for a private viewing. We also have a constant stream of shippers, carriers and restorers.
Can you share an experience where your expertise significantly influenced a client's decision?
JVH: Ultimately clients will make up their own minds, clients in the Dutch Old Master field are quite often experts in their own right. Thomas Kaplan (the world’s largest private collector of Rembrandts) has an amazing and broad knowledge of the Dutch 17th-Century works that are of the highest quality.
One's own taste goes into helping collectors find the pieces they need for their collection. Enthusiasm and expertise are also crucial ! I can’t sell a picture unless I like it myself. I, therefore, only buy pictures that I like and if I can’t sell it for a while, then I’ll have the pleasure of owning it.
What methods and tools do you use to discover new artworks or artists that may be undervalued?
JVH: With the advent of the internet the discovery of unknown works is much less frequent. Nowadays, everything can be found online even if it is an obscure sale on the other side of the world! Going back 30 or 40 years, things did indeed turn up that were not catalogued. Nowadays we have such easy access to very sophisticated catalogues that it is in fact pretty rare that something just turns up.
What do you look for in a work?
JVH: The first quality is the condition, provenance is also very important particularly during the time period of 1933 - 1945. You need to know where a work has been, some were stolen during the war and it is important to know about this. There was a picture in a Warsaw Museum that I had inadvertently bought that had been stolen, and which I returned. Part of an art advisor’s job is to return the pictures to the rightful owners that may be owned innocently by someone else today. I also look for high quality, visual appeal, and interesting subject matter ( it's harder to sell a picture of a dead fish). I have also noticed that over time, taste has changed, people are looking for more colour these days.
Can you provide an example of a hidden gem you discovered and how it has performed as an investment?
JVH: One of Pieter Brueghel’s winter scenes “The Census at Bethlehem” which was dismissed by two auction houses. I realised it was definitely a Pieter Brueghel. The work had been owned by the same family for over 400 years, and until the 1960s they still had the original receipt from Brueghel himself, they kept the picture and nobody had catalogued it and so it was an unknown . To verify that it was genuine , I had to fly to Nairobi and travel to the African bush where it was on display in the dining room of their family home. I arrived and saw an enormous Brueghel, I needed to take the work down for closer inspection and so the owner clapped his hands and two Maasai warriors came and took it off the wall! Dead geckos showered down, and we took it outside. I inspected it and knew it was absolutely right. I knew I needed to get it straight to London to have it cleaned up, and restored.
It eventually sold at Frieze Masters for a large sum of money.
What challenges have you faced throughout your career, and how did you overcome them?
JVH: There are a lot of challenges, with the biggest one being Brexit which has led to increased costs and taxes. We have to have incredibly strict record keeping because of the laws around the anti money laundering scheme. It can be difficult to ask long-standing trusted clients for their passport, utility bills and source of the funds. I would say that I now spend 99% of my time on admin and 1% in art dealing, this has increased exponentially since joining the EU and has increased further since Brexit.
How do you ensure that the art you recommend aligns with your client's personal tastes and investment goals?
JVH: I would say that most of the clients we deal with aren’t so much interested in the investment side but more so in the aesthetics. Although it's true that the Old Masters supply is dwindling everyday and so the prices will naturally go up. Sometimes something appears on the market but generally speaking everything is known. The demand for Old Masters has also increased in recent years, which has had an impact on price, there is an especially big demand for top quality top end Old Masters.
What skills do you consider essential for success in the field of art advising?
JVH: Knowledge, you really have to have an eye, you can’t advise anyone unless you have a very good understanding of your area of expertise.
You have to absorb everything. When I was starting out, every day I would go to museums and galleries and stare at the pictures and get every book I could find. It takes a genuine passion and a wholehearted commitment to the subject. Be prepared to travel and absorb as much as you possibly can from books to literature to articles.
I would also advise those starting out to get an apprenticeship. I joined Christies in 1969 in the stamp department, where I discovered the quality and detail of stamp production. So getting a toe in the door at Christies or Sothebys can help you find out what your real love is. You may join for a specific reason and then find yourself in another department, it’s a great way to figure out what you want to specialise in.