In this lively panel discussion, Webb’s Senior Fine Art Specialist Mark Hutchins-Pond, Art Dealer James Blackie and Toi MAHARA Heritage Curator Vicki Robson share their anecdotes, experiences and tips for buying or investing in art.
Chaired by art historian and curator Jill Trevelyan this talk is for anyone who likes art whether you are building your confidence to buy your first work or want to build your collection.
A Q & A will follow the discussion.
Brought to you by the Friends of Toi MAHARA. The Friends will provide a drink and refreshments at the end of the event.
Tickets are $25pp.
Funds raised will support Toi MAHARA to buy high-quality portable gallery stools as used at Auckland Art Gallery and Te Papa.
These stools will enable everyone to enjoy the gallery by providing seating that can be taken around exhibitions and used at events.
Register now to secure your spot.
Mark Hutchins-Pond is Webb’s Senior Fine Art Specialist and leads the valuation and curatorial teams at Webb’s Wellington Gallery. He joined Webb’s in September 2022 after a decade as the lead curator, contemporary art, at the Pātaka Art + Museum in Porirua. Mark’s extensive art sector expertise has been acquired over three decades of studying, writing, presenting, critiquing, and championing New Zealand contemporary fine art.
Before leading Pātaka’s curatorial team, Mark established and directed his own dealer gallery for nine years in Upper Willis Street, Wellington, where he represented a group of mainly well-established artists who continue to achieve record prices in the secondary market to this day.
He has written for and edited various art publications, both independently and as part of his lead curator role within the museum sector. He has also presented many public talks on New Zealand art and artists and compared an art documentary programme for Urban Art for television.
Mark has served on a variety of charitable and philanthropic Trusts in addition to the Wellington Sculpture Trust including the Oroya & Melvin Day Charitable Trust and the Pātaka Foundation.
James Blackie is an art dealer and advisor. In 2024, he opened his gallery as a permanent fixture on the Wellington waterfront – transforming the old Mojo café into a dedicated fine art space. While the gallery is new, James Blackie brings over two decades of experience as an art dealer. He represents many of the country’s leading artists and works with private collectors, corporates and public collections in sourcing, commissioning or placing important artworks in exceptional collections.
Vicki Robson is a Curator and Collection Manager at Toi MAHARA. She is an independent curator and researcher with specialist interests in European fine prints and modern British art. Formerly curator of European and International Art at Te Papa, Victoria has a long standing relationship with Toi MAHARA, especially with regard to Frances Hodgkins and the Field Collection.
Jill Trevelyan is a Wellington art historian and curator and Art Adviser for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Her books include Edith Collier, Early New Zealand modernist (2024), Toss Woollaston: A Life in Letters (2004), Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life (2008), Peter McLeavey: The Life and Times of a New Zealand Art Dealer (2013) and Robin White: Something is Happening Here (with Sarah Farrar and Nina Tonga, 2022).