Paul Sumner
Chief Executive Officer of Mossgreen, Australia
By Karina Foo
The auction industry seems to have been overlooked among the popular and well publicised art galleries. Although a niche sector in the mass sales market, auctioning is slowly being recognised as an important business in art and trade, but one that’s focused on luxury, aesthetics and pure value.
One such business that’s been operating for the last 11 years is Mossgreen. It has grown to be known as a luxury destination to buy, sell and enjoy objects of beauty, rarity and value. Founded and established by Paul Sumner and Amanda Swanson, it functions as an Art Gallery and boutique Auction House specialising in the sale of Single-Owner Collections.
To date, Mossgreen has conducted many of the largest and most prestigious Single-Owner Auctions held in this country.
Sumners always knew that the name was a prophecy of his future business as he started his career much earlier on in Sotheby’s Australia, another renowned auction house company.
“I visualised the name Mossgreen 20 years ago as it was something that came to mind when I was in AngKor Wat and saw those amazing temples covered in green moss. They are ancient but still so beautifully part of our contemporary world. It already embodied my vision as Mossgreen would deal with ancient and contemporary art,” explains Paul.
His vision had manifested into a lucrative one and the company now turns over $31 million in auction sales a year after joining forces with Martyn Cook Antiques and Martyn Cook.
But just like all successful stories, he started from humble beginnings. Paul grew up in the UK and went into the business when he was 15, strongly influenced by his father who was an antique dealer.
“My parents encouraged me to work in local auction houses in Bristol. I started to acquire a broader knowledge in the area. I kept applying for jobs and tried to network my way through different auction houses in England.”
In the late 80’s, representatives from an Australian auction house came to England looking to employ people to come to Australia.
“It was interesting because I wasn’t familiar with Australia as England was very far from the Land Down Under, but I was offered a job there as a one year contract and I decided to take it for a different experience.
When I got to Australia in 1986, it was very different to what thought it would be – the country was modern and urban. It wasn’t just a dessert! I was also pleasantly surprised about the profound interest in arts and music. I worked in that auction house for the year and later was transferred to Christie’s International Auction House in Sydney and was appointed as their manager.”
Soon after, Paul was head hunted by Sotheby’s Auction House for a short post until he was promoted to its managing director. In 2000, his job took him back to England for another two years to work on major projects for the next two years.
“I learned a lot there about change management as there were a lot of staff who were used to the traditional auction house business. Change had to begin as we were dealing with contemporary styles of auction housing.”
After completing the project, Paul decided to return to Australia in 2003 and pursued his dream to set up Mossgreen as an art gallery and auction house.
Today, Mossgreen is the biggest auction house in Australia located in Armadale, one of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs.
“We’re only halfway through to our goals as our long term vision is to be the first multi-disciplinary auction house in Australia that covers every area in depth, led with expertise at the top of every department.”
Mossgreen’s clientele is an eclectic mix of collectors of various inspired art, but the lifestyle that they aspire to live is one thing they all have in common.
“Whether they love fine dining or good music, we tap into that by fulfilling their interest by the variety that we offer in our gallery and auction house. That’s why we have a fine dining restaurant, music, collectibles and art,” says Paul.
“这只是在途中，我们的目标与长期的愿景是成为澳大利亚首个跨领域的拍卖行，深度覆盖各项领域，每个部门管理拥有领先的专业知识。”
拍卖行业随着盛行的艺术画廊而逐渐被忽视，虽然在大规模销售利润市场，拍卖慢慢受到认可为重要的艺术和商业贸易，但关注焦点却是奢侈品，美学和纯粹价值。
Mossgreen以这样的形式营运了11年，被视为奢侈品销售目的地，享受着美丽艺术，品位着稀有和价值。由Paul Sumner 与Amanda Swanson共同创立的优美天地，结合艺术画廊和精品拍卖行功能，从事独资收藏品交易。
Paul Sumner & Amanda Swanson
而Mossgreen至今已在这个国家成功承办许多大规模和具备声望的独资拥有者拍卖会。Paul Sumner认定这个名称就是未来事业的预言，早在他于苏富比澳大利亚开展职业生涯–另外一家著名拍卖公司。
“我会取名Mossgreen 是在20年前，当我在柬埔寨的吴哥窟，目睹神奇的寺庙覆盖着绿色的苔藓，它们是如此古老但仍然美丽，这是现代世界的一部分，就像苔藓绿一样展现在我的视野，辗转于古代和当代艺术。”
而他的视野折现转化成盈利的公司，与Martyn Cook古董商成为战线盟友的1年后，目前公司运转逾3100万美元的拍卖销售额。
就像所有成功故事一个不起眼的开端，他成长于英国，受到古董商父亲的强烈影响，15岁就踏足了这个业务。
“父母鼓励我在布里斯托当地一家拍卖行工作。我开始汲取相关行业的知识，并且不断申请工作，试图透过英国不一样的拍卖行拓展我的思路网络。”
在80年代末，澳大利亚拍卖行代表前往英国雇佣到当地工作的人员。
“这很有趣，我虽然不熟悉澳大利亚，只晓得是距离英国相当遥远的土地，但是我得到了一份工作，为期一年的合约，我决定体验不一样的感受。”
1986年抵达澳大利亚后，非常不同于想象–现代化国家和城市。这不仅是一次甜点，他也惊喜感受深刻的艺术和音乐熏陶。工作一年后，他被任命为国际拍卖行佳士得悉尼的经理。
过后，他也被挖角到苏富比拍卖行，任职董事经理。在2000年，由于参与一项重大项目，他返回家乡英国为接下来的2年工作进行部署。
“我学到很多关于变更管理的手法，即使许多员工习惯传统的拍卖业务，而当我们与现代风格的拍卖行应对，开始有了变化。”
项目完成后，2003年，Paul Sumner决定回到澳大利亚追逐梦想。设立Mossgreen，一个艺术画廊和拍卖行的结合体。
今日，Mossgreen是位于Armadale区域-墨尔本最富裕郊区的大型拍卖行。
“这只是在途中，我们的目标与长期的愿景是成为澳大利亚首个跨领域的拍卖行，深度覆盖各项领域，每个部门管理拥有领先的专业知识。”
Mossgreen的客户群是折衷混合各种艺术灵感的收藏家，但他们向往的启发生活是一个共同点。
“无论他们喜欢美食还是爱好音乐，我们会以各种方式满足他们的喜好，也提供我们的画廊和拍卖行。这就是为什么我们有一个美妙的餐厅、音乐，收藏和艺术。”
Two very different characters who came from two different centuries and both very influential art figures in the world art and social scenes. No one in their wildest dream in the art circle would have imagined to have the opportunity to witness a joint exhibition of Andy Warhol and Ai Wei Wei until National Gallery Victoria in Melbourne Australia presented more than 300 works, including major new commissions, immersive installations and a wide representation of paintings, sculptures, film, photography, publications and social media.
EZ AUSTRALIA.NEWS 