Reviews of Gallery 18 (Painter)

Hoang Anh Nguyen

Nice!

Julie Arthurs

My husband purchased an Elaine Harrison painting from this gallery. He was quite happy and excited as he knew the artist when he was a child. The painting was shipped to London, UK by the gallery. It arrived in a poor state, with an alarming amount of paint flakes coming off. Of course we felt sick about the whole episode. This is the report from John Jones in London, Head of Conservation & Collection Care: CONDITION REPORT Overall Condition: Poor Detailed Analysis: Painting support: The painting support is in very good condition, with no visible flaws. Painted surface: The painted surface is in a poor condition. A combination of natural aging and inappropriate packaging conditions during transportation has led to the white and blue pigments of the painting to crack and lift off of the painting support (Figs 2 - 5). This effect is visible throughout the painted surface, especially around the edges of the artwork. In this instance we would have expected the packing for shipment to be much more secure; however, this was not the case. The gallery owners denied any negligence in packing. They claimed the painting was perhaps opened by customs and had sat idle for months. This was not the case - it had not been opened by anyone in customs and was in a safe, controlled environment for a few months (our home). In the end we were treated rudely and they were dismissive toward us as clients. We now have paid over $4,000 for the painting plus costs to have the painting professionally restored, never to its original state of course. I feel sad for Elaine Harrison that these people are entrusted to a collection of her works. In the future I would urge them to consider properly their procedure for overseas shipping, the possibility it will end up sitting in customs for a couple of weeks, and that in normal shipping conditions, clients may not have access to the painting on the other end for a couple of months. It makes me sad to write this review but I seem unable to have a proper discussion with the gallery about his issue and my concern now lies with the work of the artists, being a life-long artist and shipper of art myself.