I cannot believe that it is thirty years since we started Toovey’s. Many of the passionate and dedicated people who have leading roles within the company were there in those early years.
Amongst these were my Dad, Mum and my Uncle Edward. Alongside them were my brother Nick Toovey my brother-in-law Tom Rowsell, his brother William and Chris Gale.
In 2018 Nick and Tom became equity holding Directors. It has been marvellous to share the business with such talented and principled people. We share the same values and recognise the importance of being a family firm where people are valued – our clients and our team. This has allowed us to build a regional auction house with a reputation for being a centre of expertise for the valuation and sale of art and antiques, with leading specialists and international marketing.
Every time I say lets do a fund raiser they just say yes – my thanks to them and our team.
And to Ed and his fantastic Jazz quartet
To Patrick and Cathy Roberts for such extraordinary canapes – dessert ones to come don’t rush off
To all who donated prizes to the auction.
To Wiston for sharing our values and always being so generous – thank you for sponsoring the bubbles this evening in such a good cause
And to my darling wife Teresa and our daughters, Emma and Hester – thank you – you can only do anything in life if you are supported by the people who love you most.
We opened on a stormy Valentine’s night in 1995 and were overwhelmed by the support of clients and friends. Our investment in our people and tooveys.com allowed us to weather the storm of Covid. We were described as ‘the poshest click and collect in Sussex’! I must say though, it is lovely to have the salerooms packed with people again.
Alongside art and antiques people are at the heart of our business. The pleasure of accompanying people through their art, collectors’ items and antiques remains as strong as it has always been. We all value objects which allow us to speak of our lives – the prompts to fond memories. Many will also celebrate the beauty of a piece, whilst others collect in the pursuit of knowledge, continually refining and adding to the depth of their understanding of a particular field or period, training their eye to the subtle details which set exceptional objects apart. In an age which increasingly confuses information with knowledge and understanding, this is a generous, exciting and refreshing community of people to accompany.
Provenance and the human story behind individual objects or collections add a frisson to the prices achieved for them at auction. This has been reflected at Toovey’s sales again and again over the years and never more so than in the case of the large oil of a Uruguayan Guacho on horseback by Juan Manuel Blanes. The first owner of the painting was the notable Spanish aristocrat Baldomero Hyacinth de Bertodano, 7th Marquis de Moral. He lived at Cowbridge House near Malmsbury in Wiltshire and it remained with his family until it was sold at Toovey’s for a world record breaking £1,150,000.
None of this would have been possible, though, without the generous support and encouragement of the collectors, our clients, friends and supporters. On behalf of all of us at Toovey’s I would like to thank you.