At home with….Andrew Kalman
23 March 2021
Andrew Kalman is the owner of Crane Kalman Gallery, established in 1949 in Manchester by his father, the late Andras Kalman (1919-2007).
Andras had been born into a Jewish family in the small town of Mateszalka in Hungary, where his father was a prosperous pharmacist. Age nineteen, he came to England to study English followed by Chemistry at Leeds University. He never saw his family again; they perished in the Holocaust.
In 1949 Andras opened a small art gallery in Manchester in the basement of a former air raid shelter. With a young man's chutzpah, he set his sights high, writing to Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Jacob Epstein, Matthew Smith, Lucian Freud and others, requesting the loan of works on a sale or return basis. The artists responded well but not so the public, as no one turned up for the first private view.
In 1957 Kalman moved to London and set up the Crane Kalman Gallery at 178 Brompton Road, where the gallery is located to this day. The gallery specialises in Modern British Art, in particular the works of L.S. Lowry, Ben and Winfred Nicholson, Graham Sutherland and Mary Newcomb.
Last year brought about many changes as a result of the pandemic, were there any consequences for you as a gallery owner?
Consequences of the pandemic were obviously the cancelled art-fairs and exhibitions, suffocating our ability to engage with existing clients and potential new clients, as the level of art offered online ballooned exponentially. We had to rely more than ever on focusing our efforts on sourcing specific artworks for specific clients.
Were there any works or artists that stood out for you during that time?
Our most successful sale results centred on artists with whom the gallery is most closely associated – Lowry in particular, but also Winifred Nicholson, whose work we have exhibited and sold consistently for 70 and 50 years respectively.
Many people who are new to buying art are looking for inspiration and guidance from those that have been buying art for a while, especially when it comes to buying their first work of art. Do you remember your first art purchase, and can you tell us what it was and why you acquired it?
I can’t remember my very first art purchase, but it was no doubt based on artists I have grown up with - perhaps Calder - or artists whose work I was drawn to, such as Chris Ofili works on paper.
Is there one stand out tip that you can give to those who are starting a new collection or considering buying their first work of art?
Love it!
Is there one work that you either own or would like to own that stands out above all others for you? What is it and why?
This changes subject to what I have recently seen, and my mood I suppose, but currently there is a great Calder oil painting I cherish / covet for its joyfulness and vibrancy, plus another 100, so too many to mention!
Many collectors are looking to deepen their knowledge of the arts and the market. Is there a book you can recommend?
In the book surveying the George Costakis Collection [Angelica Zander Rudenstine, Russian Avant-Garde Art: The George Costakis Collection, 1981] his ‘Five Rules for the Collector’ are most advisable, beginning with No.1 (edited): A real collector must feel like a millionaire, even if he is penniless… If he understands and loves a work, and is sure of himself, he must not be afraid to buy it.
What do you feel is the role of art professionals/advisors and how do you think they can help collectors?
My role to collectors is to sell them paintings I love and would buy myself if I could afford them (unfortunately, mostly, I can’t).
What is the one thing you look forward to in the art world in 2021?
I am most looking forward to the exhibition of gallery artist Mary Newcomb (1922-2008) at the stunning Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park in Warwickshire. The exhibition entitled Mary Newcomb - Nature’s Canvas is scheduled to open on 2 April (until 18 July) and we will host a concurrent exhibition at the gallery. We have an existing association with Compton Verney, a majestic Georgian mansion set in rolling, landscaped gardens designed by Capability Brown. It houses six separate art collections, gifted by its founder, the late Sir Peter Moores and includes the British Folk Art Collection accumulated by my parents over three decades, which Sir Peter acquired in its entirety nearly 20 years ago.