Ian Hicks, Chairman of deutscher and hackett fine art auction house, today announced the appointment of Tony Preston as Business Development Manager and Senior Art Specialist.
Adelaide-born, Mr Preston has extensive experience in the art industry in both Australia and New Zealand, beginning his career at the Art Gallery of South Australia as Education Officer and coordinating travelling exhibitions. At a local level, Tony held the position of Chief Education Officer at the National Gallery of Victoria until 1995, and was responsible for creating and implementing school and public programmes that reinforced the NGV and its collections as a major educational and community resource.
On the international front, he was founding director of the award-winning Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetu, until May 2006. In this position, he oversaw the successful opening of the new Gallery in 2003, and developed the very successful fundraising campaigns which enabled completion of the $52m project ahead of schedule and within budget. Under Tony’s leadership, attendance figures of 600,000 in the first twelve months were remarkable, far exceeding projected visitor numbers.
deutscher and hackett Director, Chris Deutscher, welcomed Mr Preston’s appointment to the company as an important development in building on the success of the company’s inaugural year of trading.
‘Tony has extensive experience and knowledge in the local and international art industry and will be a wonderful addition to the company in terms of his commitment to providing the highest standards of specialist advice and service’, Mr Deutscher said. ‘His great enthusiasm for art, his exacting standards of professionalism and his financial expertise will provide a perfect fit within the culture of our company.’
Mr Preston has been involved with numerous business and cultural organisations including his election as a Fellow to the New Zealand Institute of Management and the Royal Society of Arts, London. In 1985, he was awarded a J. Paul Getty Trust Scholarship for the Museum Management Institute at Berkeley University, San Francisco. He was also an executive board member, Australian National Committee for the International Council of Museums and has just served 6 years as an executive board member of ICOM’s International Committee for Education & Cultural Action.
His appointment follows on from the appointment of former Queensland Art Gallery Director, Doug Hall AM, to the deutscher and hackett board last April and further enhances the company’s desire to provide clients with an unprecedented level of expertise and service.
Tony will commence with deutscher and hackett on February 11 and will be based in the Melbourne office. The company’s first auction for 2008, “100 IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN PAINTINGS” will be held in Melbourne on April 16.
For further information please contact Julie King, Julie King Publicity, 0412 666 300 or jking1@bigpond.net.au
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