The SOLD! exhibition install has continued over the last couple of days – there’s only just over 1 week to go before SOLD! opens to the public on Saturday 26th January. There’s still lots to do of course, but George and the exhibitions team have been working long, long hours to ensure that the installation is all ready for the delivery of the exhibition loans from the Major, National Museums next week.
There was excitement today (mainly from me!) when some of the main interpretation panels arrived from the design company – it was a bit like Christmas (again)…(for me)..
SOLD! text Panels, as they arrived at The Bowes Museum.
George, Vin and Simon quickly set about setting up the text and image panels in the exhibition gallery – using an amazing laser measurement machine to get them all centred-up accurately on the exhibition wall –
George, Vin and Simon, lining-up one of the text panels for SOLD!
There are quite a few image panels for each of the 4 exhibition space walls – here’s a brief photo preview of the first corner of the exhibition space, focused on early 19th century antique dealers – with a fabulous image of an imaginary interior of an ‘antique shop’ of the c.1820s, culled from the business trade card of the real ‘curiosity dealer’ William Neate, who traded in the City of London in the period. This image is part of a series of interior images of antiques shops that form each section of the exhibition – a whole panorama of images of antique shops dating from the 1820s to the 1990s.
One corner of the exhibition space of SOLD!
Once the image panels were fixed to the walls by George and the team you could really get a sense of how SOLD! was beginning to take shape.
One of the image panels fixed to the wall in SOLD!
The image (above) shows an interior photograph of the shop of C. Charles dating from c.1900; (Charles Joel Duveen, was the brother of perhaps the most famous art & antiques dealer in the world, Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen).
We have also used many more antique dealer shop interior shop images as part of the exhibition interpretation narrative, including the shops of J.M. Botibol (1950s), Bluett & Sons (1920s) and the shop of the famous 19th century dealer in ‘ancient armour’, Samuel and Henry Pratt’s ‘Gothic Armoury’ in Lower Grosvenor Street, of the 1830s.
But one of the most exciting things to happen today was the arrival of the 1850 ‘Old Curiosity Shop’!…Viv and Ant, of North Exhibitions Services, delivered the Old Curiosity Shop to The Bowes Museum. Viv and Ant have have been constructing the 1850 Shop in their workshops for the last few weeks – and everyone, including an endless series of helpers from the reception desk at The Bowes, helped to bring all of the (seemingly endless pieces) of the shop into the 1st floor exhibition space.
Vin and Ant, with Viv obscured behind the right-hand pillar.
Once the 1850 shop was in the exhibition space, Viv and Ant quickly set about assembling it – I think it will look spectacular…but as I had to leave The Bowes Museum at 5pm today I only got to see the uncompleted structure…but even so, it was certainly beginning to look amazing – below is the effect once the lower front wall of the shop had been completed.
The 1850 Shop, taking shape in the SOLD! exhibition.
There was still a great deal of assembly work to be done when I left the museum at 5pm….but I’m absolutely sure that the 1850 Shop will be ready and waiting for me and Simon tomorrow morning. And that, with the rest of the team at Bowes Museum, we’ll be able to begin to fill up the 1850 Shop with some extraordinary ‘curiosities’ tomorrow!
Watch this space!
Mark
antiquedealersblog 
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