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Top Art Nouveau dealer Robert Zehil smiles at China (a seminal interview)

Stefano Pirovano

Robert Zehil opened his first art gallery in 1982, when Art Nouveau was in vogue and wealthy people all over the world were decorating their homes with Tiffany lamps, Gallè vases, or forniture by Majorelle. 37 years later we sat down with him, in Milan, to take stock of his extraordinary career and peep into the future of this style.

Mr. Robert Zehil was born in Lebanon, and moved to England when he was 20 years old. He was 37 when he opened his first art gallery in Los Angeles, in partnership with Art Nouveau expert Victor Arwas. It was 1982. Now he has a gallery in Monaco and a personal collection of more than 2500 pieces of Art Nouveau, which today is the one of largest in private hands in the world. “When you talk about art nouveau you talk about every aspect of our universe,” he told us during a conversation we recently had in Milan. “Literature, symbolism, opera, politics, fabrics… you talk about million of things. Art Nouveau is love of nature and dreams. It sends you to another planet.” When Art Nouveau’s rediscovery first started in the 1960s, it interested mainly Europeans. Gianni Agnelli, for instance, was collecting Art Nouveau pieces, as well as other personalities such as Pierre Cardin, Karl Lagerfeld, the Beatles, or Elton John, who was a client of Mr. Zehil. Later, the Art Nouveau revival moved to the United States. The Americans loved it, especially in New York, where the more sophisticated collectors were based, including singer and actress Barbra Streisand. Later also the Japanese came on the scene, supported by Japan’s economic boom. They were mostly interested in glass: they didn’t buy ceramics for they thought their ceramics were the best, and they didn’t buy silver either, for they considered silver to be a common material. Moreover, sculpture and pieces of furniture were too big for their homes. But after the bubble burst in Japan, in 1991, everything started to slow down. The low end of the market abruptly lost one third of its value there. “When Art Nouveau was booming, there were dealers all over the place” Mr Zehil recalls, “now there’s none left, even in France, that is where all started.” Today, on the top level of the market, there are only two dealers left in the world. One is Robert Zehil Gallery in Monaco. But rather than a mere sign of changing times and fashion, we would call it a great opportunity. Especially as China still doesn’t know much about this cultural and artistic treasure for which, according to Mr. Zehil, it was an important source of inspiration along with Japan itself.

How did you start collecting Art Nouveau?

It happened to me accidentally. I had no inclination towards antiques. My parents were small art collectors; I wouldn’t even say collectors. They just bought things to put in their home at the time they were travelling. Their house was full of antiques but not of great value. I certainly didn’t have any interest in it when I started my business.

What did you do?

As soon as I was 21 I opened an office to export textiles and ready-made garments from London, where I was living, to the Middle East, where I am from. I could speak Arabic, so it became a very successful business quite soon. After a few yeas I had a branch in Milan and an office in Paris. I was very busy and had no time for art. In 1975 the civil war started in Lebanon. I got my parents and my two sisters out of the Country.

So how did you meet art?

One day my mother was walking in London and bumped into Sotheby’s, which was in Bond Street. When she came back home she told me: ‘come with me, and have a look at Sotheby’s. You’re making money, but don’t you see where you live? Your house is terrible. Cheap wallpaper, no furniture, no paintings’. I replied ‘please mum, leave me alone. I am busy now’. But a few days later I went to Sotheby’s with her. There was an auction of paintings. They were putting paintings on easels, with lights shining over them. I bought a catalogue and sat down in the auction room. Every time my mother said, ‘oh, this is a nice painting’ I raised my hand and bought it. I still have the first painting I bought. Years after that auction I gave it to her and she preserved the piece until last December, when she passed away. So I took it back. It’s the only thing that I took back from her house.

But that didn’t turn you into an art dealer, did it?

No. A few years later, in 1979, I bought a five bedroom apartment in London and I needed to furnish it. I had no idea where to start. I remember I was in Paris, visiting the Louvre des Antiquaires that had just opened – now it’s closed, and it gives you an idea where the business has gone 40 years later. I walked into a small shop and I saw something I liked. The lady who was the owner of the shop asked me ‘where are you from?’. ‘From London’ I replied. ‘Do you know that this piece is illustrated in a book by Victor Arwas?’. ‘No, but thank you for letting me know’.

And then?

When I went back to London, impressed by what the lady had told me, I wanted to know who he was. So I went to meet this man who had a gallery just around the corner from Bond Street. He was from Egypt and was a heavy guy. We became friends. He was a specialist of Art Nouveau and Art Deco and he had written several books about it. I still had my business and I was making good money. So I started to buy, from him and from others. I was single and I was getting more and more interested. One day I went to him and said: ‘I want to change business, I don’t want to do what I am doing any more. I want to become an art dealer. Shall we set up a partnership?’. He said ‘yes, if you want’. I said ‘When do we start?’. ‘Wait, we have to move from here’. ‘Where?’ I asked. ‘Somewhere better’. ‘You’re already off Bond Street’ I argued. ‘We have to be closer to Sotheby’s and Christie’s. We need a better location’.

Did you find it?

I walk out of his shop, turned right, and I was on Bond Street. I walked up the street. I was standing with Sotheby’s at my back and right in front of me I noticed there was a shop for rent. So I run back to Victor and told him ‘I’ve found a place, let’s go’. There was a pharmacy there, the space was beautiful. But unfortunately as the owner told us Ralph Lauren had already put an option on it. The day after they let us know he had taken the shop, and he is still there, 38 years later.

Did you find anything else?

No and I was really depressed; I wanted to get out. But Arwas came to me with another idea: ‘Shall we move to another town? We can go wherever you like, but not New York, for I have friends there and I don’t want to interfere with their business’. He proposed to move to Los Angeles. ‘There’s a good market there’ he said. So I went to Los Angles, I found a place on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, and said to Arwas to come by. I signed a 10 year lease. After that I knew I wanted to come back to Europe.

Was your partnership successful?

The first two years were very, very difficult. I had no experience. I was calling Arwas every day. I learned a lot, I was repeating like a parrot his ideas. We had a deal. I had to take care of the gallery for the first six months, so I was paying all the bills. But after one year and a half I went to him and said ‘Victor, it looks like it’s getting expensive here and we are making barely any money’. So we split up, still we remained best friends until he died. But I wanted to succeed, so I decided to stay there.

Were you still in the clothes business at that time?

No. I had already given the keys to my employees. My local partner took the branch in Milan, while my brother kept the Paris office. The gallery was my only source of income. Things became really dangerous at that point. But I wanted it to thrive so I stayed in California.

How did you make it?

The Japanese market was very strong at that time. I met the top art dealer in the country, Belle des Belles, and I became his American supplier. I got in touch with the major art collectors in the States. I managed to buy entire collections for the Japanese market, not only for art collectors, but also for companies. No one ever did something like this in the Art Nouveau market.

What were your best skills?

I was a very good gambler, and I was good at taking risks.

What do you mean?

Just before opening in Monte Carlo, for instance, I went to Daum to visit the company and proposed them to write together with Victor a comprehensive book about them. They agreed and let me consult the company’s archives. I bought a camera to take pictures of the original drawings and correspondence and a copy machine. They had an attic full of old glass and I had access to it. At some point I was having lunch with the company owner and I said ‘May I ask you a question?’. She replied ‘If you want to buy just a piece or two I am not interested. But if you want to buy a serious group of pieces we could make a deal’. That was exactly what I had hoped to hear. All the glass pieces had already been evaluated by an expert. “If your offer is equal or above the figure that we have then  we have a deal’. I bought roughly eight hundred pieces that time.

Was it you main acquisition?

In 2000 a dealer in Paris asked me: ‘Are you interested in a big collection of Dalpayrat ceramics? I have a collector who might like to sell his collection’. He took me to Switzerland to the collector’s place, and it was definitely the biggest collection of Dalpayrat ceramics in the world. I bought it all, and I still have some pieces. A few years later, thanks to a broker, I bought an outstanding collection of almost 350 Argy Rousseau’s pate de verre stored in the duty free zone in Geneva. Dealers generally buy no more than two, maximum three pieces per year, if they are able to find them. I bought 350 in one morning. Having the money is only a part. It is important to have the experience and deep knowledge.

What was you last main purchase?

Two years ago a client of mine retired. She went to Florida. She had a house full of pieces, which she gave to her daughter who immediately wanted to sell. I bought back several pieces that I had sold to this client 30 years ago. You need courage, knowledge, and guts. Sometimes you lose, sometime you win.

But if you don’t fail you won’t succeed.

There are two ways to learn this job. You can read books, go to museums, travel around the world… or you can learn by acquiring your own pieces even if it means making few mistakes on the way. Sometimes I buy an important piece at auction, or from an art dealer, because it complements nicely my collection. It happens that someone from my staff or a colleague asks me: ‘why did you pay so much for it?’. My answer is always the same: ‘At that point whether the piece is overpriced or not is irrelevant. When you buy the right thing you never make a mistake.

Have you ever met  the collector Benedict Silverman?

Yes, I have. He was an important collector with a great eye. I remember I called him up one day. ‘Mr Silverman?’. ‘Yes’. ‘I am Robert Zehil, I am an art dealer’. ‘What can I do for you?’. ‘Would you sell your collection of glass?’. ‘Oh. Come and talk to me’. I flew to New York to meet him. He was an astute and successful man, with a wonderful taste and a wonderful apartment. He had 12 exclusive Gallè and one Daum vases. ‘How much do you want for your collection?’ I said. ‘Four million Swiss francs’. ‘May I ask why do you want Swiss francs and not dollars?’. ‘Because I want to put them in Switzerland’. ‘Do you have a bank account there?’. ‘No’. We were were sitting in his kitchen. It was 1987. ‘Can I use your phone?’ I asked. I remember that the phone was hanging on the wall. I made my call, hang up and said to him ‘This is your new Swiss bank account and this is the bank. You will have the money in 48 hours’. ‘Are you serious?’ he asked me. ‘Yes, absolutely’. Then I called my clients in Japan. They flew over and took the pieces. My commission was 5%.

Is there any advise you would give to someone who wants to start art collecting?

Lillian Nassau was the first Art Nouveau dealer in New York. She started in the 1950s selling Tiffany lamps for few hundred dollars. Once she told me ‘There are two ways for building a collection. You can start from the bottom upgrading step by step. Or you can go straight to the best pieces. To put it another way, if you have money you shouldn’t waste time. She added something else: ‘All that I know I’ve learned from my clients’. But unfortunately today I can’t say the same.

Why?

In the old days it was exciting discovering things and learning about them. Direct members of the artist families were still alive and it was a great opportunity to meet them and hear wonderful stories. Top pieces were coming out every day. Now there are very few things left.

How does the Art Nouveau market look today?

The main problem is that Art Nouveau is not nouveau any more. It’s over a hundred year old and it’s considered antiques; while in the 1960s it was something new and extremely appealing. In the 1980s it was very fashionable to have a dining room by Majorelle, or some Gallè vases. Barbra Streisand, the Beatles, and Elton John were all buying Art Nouveau. People decorated their homes with Art nouveau, they liked it. Now it’s not the case any more. Still there are some very serious collectors around, and these people are not interested in trends. They are interested in Art Nouveau.

What is your plan for the future?

We are exhibiting in Russia next month at  Le Salon Art & Jewels and working on an exhibition in a museum in China, where they are still very unfamiliar with that period. It would be an achievement for me to manage entering the Chinese market and exhibit Art Nouveau in China. After all there’s a lot in common between Art Nouveau and the Oriental art from the past centuries. China is to be regarded as a main source of inspiration for it.

June 14, 2021