Bonhams' new London HQ by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
'An auction house essentially needs to fulfil two functions,' says Alex Lifschutz, 'It's got to be a warehouse. And it's got to be a theatre.' The architect should know, given his practice Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands is responsible for the freshly unveiled £30 million revamp of Bonhams' London headquarters.
It's a little more complex than that, of course. The site at 101 New Bond Street could not have been so dramatically transformed from a 'rabbit warren' with extremely tight Mayfair planning constraints, into a vast, light and high-tech modern facility without some serious innovation. While the facade of the Grade II listed Art Deco building remains as familiar as ever, immediately on entering, the interior will be barely recognisable to anyone who used to know it.
The space, which comprises a stunning 18.5m high atrium, three large and fully flexible auction rooms - two of which are double height and all precisely air and temperature controlled - is designed specifically with clients and customer service in mind, says Bonhams chairman Robert Brooks. It also represents a major commitment by the company to London as a global centre of art. With Bonhams having experienced a highly successful decade - it is one of the fastest growing international auction houses in the world - it now plans to extend a similar treatment to its New York and Hong Kong outposts too.
'An auction house today has a very different set of requirements to those of the past,' says Lifschutz. As well as the required sense of theatre and the benefits of clever lighting schemes and smart acoustics, lot sizes have also grown significantly larger. Contemporary art, he explains, tends to be created to fill gallery spaces and is often huge in scale, requiring similarly enormous display rooms and extensive storage capability. Today, Bonhams finds itself putting many vintage supercars under the hammer too, hence the need for a dedicated hydraulically operated platform on which to showcase them.
The inaugural exhibition is a showcase of highlights from Bonhams' winter sales, including the multi-million pound 'Portrait of François-Henri, 5th duc d'Harcourt', by French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
ADDRESS
Bonhams
101 New Bond Street
London W1S 1SR
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Buccellati’s 19th-century ‘jewellery box’ of a Milan store gets a new look
Milanese jewellery and silverware house Buccellati commissioned designer Chahan Minassian to transform the majestic, Piano Nobile space at Palazzo Gavazzi
By Simon Mills Published
-
From activism and capitalism to club culture and subculture, a new exhibition offers a snapshot of 1980s Britain
The turbulence of a colourful decade, as seen through the lens of a diverse community of photographers, collectives and publications, is on show at Tate Britain until May 2025
By Anne Soward Published
-
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker announces The Orchid synthesizer, a new songwriting tool
Telepathic Instruments, co-founded by Kevin Parker and friends, has announced its first product, The Orchid, a portable chord generator designed to be the ultimate inspiration machine
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
From activism and capitalism to club culture and subculture, a new exhibition offers a snapshot of 1980s Britain
The turbulence of a colourful decade, as seen through the lens of a diverse community of photographers, collectives and publications, is on show at Tate Britain until May 2025
By Anne Soward Published
-
Meet Kenia Almaraz Murillo, the artist rethinking weaving
Kenia Almaraz Murillo draws on the new and the traditional in her exhibition 'Andean Cosmovision' at London's Waddington Custot
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary art
As Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
By Finn Blythe Published
-
Doc'n Roll Film Festival makes its loud return to the UK
The 11th edition of the Doc'n Roll Film Festival celebrates music, culture and cinema from around the world
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Preview the Jameel Prize exhibition, coming to London's V&A, with a focus on moving image and digital media
The winner of the V&A and Art Jameel’s seventh international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition will be showcased alongside shortlisted artists
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Genesis Belanger is seduced by the real and the fake in London
Sculptor Genesis Belanger’s solo show, ‘In the Right Conditions We Are Indistinguishable’, is open at Pace, London
By Emily Steer Published
-
Francis Bacon at the National Portrait Gallery is an emotional tour de force
‘Francis Bacon: Human Presence’ at the National Portrait Gallery in London puts the spotlight on Bacon's portraiture
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Frieze Sculpture takes over Regent’s Park
Twenty-two international artists turn the English gardens into a dream-like landscape and remind us of our inextricable connection to the natural world
By Smilian Cibic Published