Can you tell us about how Jonathan Smart Gallery came into existence?
JSGallery came into existence in 1995 when Andrew Jensen and myself (after 7 years of working together in Jonathan Jensen Gallery, Chch) split the partnership and he went to Wellington whilst I stayed in Te Wai Pounamu – wanting still to make a contribution for the better in Ōtautahi, the city in which I had been raised.
Could you share one of the most memorable times you’ve had working as a gallerist?
There have been many memorable moments, good, bad and everything in between. Surviving the half hour with guards brandishing AK47s locked in an immigration room in Mumbai airport in the early hours of the morning, having to explain my baggage and motivations for coming to India was quite an achievement. I was presenting a group show of NZ art at Chatterjee & Lal, a terrific contemporary gallery in Mumbai. And Mort Chatterjee recommended that I carry everything with me, that avoiding Customs was the best way to go about things in India. But the young Army man in his crisp white uniform and gold epaulets could not come to grips with my luggage, my tubes of rolled canvases, photographs and small sculptures. I was a drug smuggler. And it was my job to prove him wrong. Offering my body and a couple of artworks for x-ray saved my bacon. We enjoyed a wonderful Opening a couple of days later, and the show ran for 3 months – a tribute to its reception.
What advice would you give someone looking to start their own art collection?
For those who want to start: pick a couple of good galleries, look hard at the range of work they offer and ask questions of the Gallerist as to the whys and wherefors. Learning to appreciate work is the quickest way of becoming confident in personal taste. As one needs to love a work that might grace one’s life for some time – to be fascinated and mystified about it even if it may over time become an investment.
What are you most excited about for the Aotearoa Art Fair 2024?
I enjoy the collegiality of Art Fairs. We rarely get together as a sector, and this is a chance to catch up in the widest sense of the word. I’m very excited to be presenting a solo stand of new paper, canvas works and quilts by Mark Braunias – one of my originals, an artist with whom I’ve had the privilege of working for 36 years now!