The Bigger Picture Podcast

“I value working in in contemporary visual arts because artists are really challenging the world, and their ideas make sense to me. They're needed more now than they ever have been.”Join us this month for an interview with Paula Orrell, Director of Contemporary Visual Arts Network England, as she updates us on ideas for a new trade body for the visual arts-bringing together representatives from both the commercial and public sectors. Paula takes us through her career - from nurturing Plymouth’s cultural ecosystem, to transforming a cultural space in Christchurch, New Zealand, aswell as her subsequent return to the UK’s visual arts sector.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

“There's a really big gulf between possibility and application and I think people can be reaffirmed and reassured by the fact that this gap exists and is not closing as fast as the global news around AI is presenting.”The opportunities and challenges facing the art market in its application and embrace of AI is one of the biggest topics facing the sector in decades. So how do you even begin to work these questions in your own life and business?Join us this month to tackle the realities of technological advances and gain some pragmatic tips on how to start thinking through your own AI strategy with Alice Acland, founder of the newsletter and consultancy Art Intelligence.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

“There is no limit to the people that you can reach now [through online platforms]. If you present things in the right way, build a sound reputation for great products, reliability, honesty and professionalism- anyone, from anywhere in the world, will be comfortable bidding with you.”This month we are joined by Henry House, Chief executive officer of Dreweatts auction house and former Deputy Chairman of English and European Furniture and Single-Owner sales at Sotheby’s.From cataloguing furniture as an intern, to overseeing a world-record sale of Thomas Chippendale furniture, Henry House offers listeners a fascinating insight into his 30-year career in the trade. Having built his career across the UK and New York, he reflects on the shifts, consistencies, and enduring passions he has observed in the world of collecting along the way.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

“There’s more a sense of what you might call value these days. People don't want to feel like they're just paying for decoration, they want to feel like they're paying for the object.” This month we are joined by Thomas Woodham-Smith, Director and co-founder of Treasure House Fair. From an entrepreneurial van driver to the Managing Director of the leading antiques dealership Mallet, Thomas draws on decades of experience in the art trade to explore with us how this career path supports the day-to-day challenges of running a major dealership and art fair in the UK market. Join us in reflecting on the significant changes that have shaped the trade, from the boom years of the 1980s, to the impact of the 2008 financial crisis and realities of to the post-Brexit Britain. A fascinating insight into a career in the trade.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

“A lot of the artists that I was close to, had a larger vision than just producing works… So that was first and foremost in my mind. How do you back talents? How do you give these artists more opportunities?In this month’s podcast, we’re joined by Marine Tanguy, founder of MTArt Agency, who shares her career journey, from experiences whilst the youngest gallery manager in Europe, to the impact of LA on her thinking on artist roles beyond traditional exhibitions, and the subsequent creation of a new model for artists.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.comYou can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

“It was really exciting to me that there were these non-art world concepts that I could apply inside the art world with the right relationship frame, and I could see how that could drive impacts”In this month’s podcast, First Thursday founder Callum Hale-Thomson joins us to explore entrepreneurial approaches to long-standing challenges in the art sector. We discuss increasing pressures on galleries and dealers and explore why simply telling galleries to “behave differently” is unlikely to prove the solution for lasting change.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.comYou can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

This month we are joined by Chris Bentley, Head of Fine Art & Specie at AXA XL’s UK & Lloyds business, to discuss his journey into the art world. From formative experiences as a porter at Bonhams, to developing art insurance products across the globe, and the importance of gathering a diverse set of professional experiences from the outset, this episode makes for essential listening for anyone curious about the behind-the-scenes infrastructures of the art world.About Our GuestChris Bentley is Head of Fine Art & Specie at AXA XL’s UK & Lloyds business, a role he has held since December 2020. He was previously Director of Underwriting for Northern Europe, Middle East & Asia-Pacific at AXA ART. Prior to this he worked at Hiscox where he was a member of their Fine Art team. He has held positions at Bonhams Auctioneers and Aon Artscope, a fine art insurance broker specialising in art and antique dealers. He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, an elected member of the Lloyds Market Association and International Underwriting Association Joint Specie Committee since 2015 (as Chairman between September 2019 and March 2023), and a member of Professional Advisors to the International Art Market.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

“With research, there are days we are at an absolute dead end, and sometimes it's weeks when you've made no progress. But then, one day, you make progress, and you answer a question, and, in that moment, it pays off.”In this month’s episode we are joined by Angelina Giovani, co-founder of the Flynn and Giovani provenance research agency and founder of the online training platform, Art Market Academy.From the challenges and progress in provenance research, to the importance of thorough documentation as part of a broader due diligence process, as well as Giovani’s new platform Source, which opens research access on a global scale, this episode is key listening for anyone interested in research-based practise. About the GuestAngelina Giovani is an art provenance researcher and co-founder of the Flynn & Giovani Art Provenance Research Agency, which was founded in 2017 and specialises in due diligence and provenance investigations.She works closely with key members of the UK art trade, with research supporting works now held in the collections of institutions including the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Carnegie Museum of Art.In 2023, she founded the Art Market Academy, an educational platform dedicated to provenance research and the only resource of its kind and is now launching Source, a platform connecting researchers with on-the-ground access to libraries and archives, designed to remove barriers to knowledge while creating opportunities for students.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

“We are a kind of matchmaking service between artists and projects. For every artist, there is a client.”In this month’s episode of The Bigger Picture, we speak to David Knowles, Founder and Creative Director of Artelier.From the importance of working with local artists and craftspeople in different regions, to incorporating sustainable materials and practices and staying ahead of trends, this episode makes for essential listening for anyone keen to better understand the landscape for artists today.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com

In this month’s episode of The Bigger Picture, we speak to Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of Abu Dhabi Art, on the developing nature and role of international art fairs. From the early influences of her family’s art collection, to studying anthropology and her early career at the Saatchi Gallery, our conversation explores the balance between commercial and public objectives, the overriding importance of engaging communities and grassroots organisations, as well as the changing tastes and priorities of collectors.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts.To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly, please visit arcarta.com.You can subscribe to The Bigger Picture wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about this episode or to reach out to us directly please visit arcarta.com