Interiors
The Bloomfield Taylor Collection
The Naïve Art Collection of the Late Claude Ullin AM
Private Collections, Melbourne
Level 1, 885-889 High Street
Armadale, Victoria 3143
LIVE AUCTION
Sunday 6 March, 11am
VIEWING
Thursday 3 March, 10am-5pm
Friday 4 March, 10am-5pm
Saturday 5 March, 10am-5pm
ENQUIRIES
+61 (03) 9500 2607
CONDITION REPORTS
condition.reports@gibsonsauctions.com.au
+61 (03) 9500 2607
Gibson's is excited to announce the catalogue is now online for our first live auction of 2022, Interiors, Sunday 6 March.
Interiors features fine collections of notable identities, including The Naïve Art Collection of the Late Claude Ullin AM, founder of Gallery Art Naïve and former multiple time Mayor of Stonnington. For collectors of unique furniture and decorative arts, Interiors also offers the Bloomfield Taylor Collection, collated over many years by lifestyle guru and former 'Real Housewife' Sally Bloomfield and her interior designer parents Julia and Peter Bloomfield as well as elegant European wares from a Melbourne-based private collection. A Private Collection of Persian Rugs, Toorak includes a substantial number of beautiful antique Iranian and Middle Eastern rugs.
The Bloomfield/Taylor Family Collection
A wonderful family collection spanning three centuries from Arthur Bloomfield, William Taylor, Sir John and Lady Bloomfield (nee Taylor), Peter and Julia Bloomfield and their daughter Sally Bloomfield.
Peter Bloomfield, a well-known Melbourne Interior Designer spent his childhood at between family properties Fersfield, Overnewton and 252 Domain Road – owned by father Arthur Stoughton Clarke Bloomfield, a rubber plantation owner and wealthy pastoralist William Henry Taylor. On his 21st birthday he moved to Sydney and rented an apartment with artists Jeffrey Smart and Justin O’Brien, among others. Soon after he decided to travel and moved to London where he worked at Peter Jones, before moving to New York, Canada and then the Bahamas, he settled back to life in London and started working with Terence and Shirley Conran. It was there where he met Julia Baker, who had been working with Terence for several years.
They married in London, had their first child Nicholas and moved to Australia, where their daughter Sally was born. Peter’s first job back in Australia was managing Featherstone Interiors (Grant Featherstone) in Lonsdale Street. His next venture was with his friend Bill Snell, whom he worked with at Featherstone’s. They opened Concept Office Interiors in Clarendon Street, South Melbourne. It was the one of the first stylish office interior stores in Australia, with Bill and Peter working with important designers including Sue Carr (Carr Design). Eventually Peter went on to establish his own Interior Design business working mainly in residential property.
Julia Bloomfield continued to be involved in the interior business and opened in Piaff in Mount Eliza, where the family now lived. It was a beautiful home and lifestyle store and one of the first homeware stores, as we know them today.
Following the family tradition, Sally Bloomfield started her career in interior design, working with Sue Carr at Inarc Design. After a few years and itchy feet Sally travelled to Europe and eventually moved to London to work with Tricia Guild at Designers Guild on Kings Road. Upon her return to Australia she moved into the Fashion world, working at Esprit, King Enterprises, and Witchery and eventually Style Council, a fashion advertising and PR company where she remained for many years. From there Sally landed her dream job at Harper’s Bazaar where she was the Melbourne Editor for three and a half years.
During this time she met her soon-to-be husband Ian Robertson, who was the founder of Q Bar Nightclubs in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Together they bought the Albany Hotel in South Yarra and spent many years renovating and running the 85 room hotel. All the mid-century pieces in this auction were at one time at The Albany. During this time Ian and Sally took on an enormous project on level 2 at the GPO in Melbourne, with 3 dining areas and a nightclub.
In 2012 the Albany hotel was sold and the family moved to Bali. Their dream was to build a hotel on the island and they set about finding the right property. Sadly in 2016, halfway through the build, Ian passed away and after much deliberation Sally decided to finish their dream. The gorgeous boutique hotel that had been their home, opened in November 2017 – it was a bittersweet moment. During this time, Sally was asked to be a part of Season 4 of The Real Housewives of Melbourne, which aired in 2017/2018, which was a great distraction at a difficult time and something she thoroughly enjoyed.
Sally is now raising her two boys on the Mornington Peninsula.
The Naïve Art Collection of the Late Claude Ullin AM
Defined as an ‘indefatigable supporter’ of the arts community, Claude Ullin AM was a tireless pioneer and promoter of the Australian arts scene.
Art was in Claude’s blood - born in 1937 in Milan, Italy, he was the descendent of distinguished German Jewish art collectors. Over several decades, the family acquired significant paintings and sculptures to form a substantial art collection that was either stolen, abandoned or dissolved through involuntary sale when the family sought refuge in Australia during World War II.
Having been surrounded by art in his youth, Claude launched successful creative advertising agency Higgins Ullin Advertising (later Ullin & Partners) through the 1970s. Finally, his passion for art took over, purchasing a large Spanish Revival home at 430 Punt Road, South Yarra and repurposing the building to become Gallery Art Naïve in 1978 – the first very first totally dedicated gallery to showcase Naïve Art. At that time, Australian Galleries was the only gallery that would occasionally show works of that genre.
Focussing on underrepresented artists, the gallery launched a number of careers such as Roma Higgins, Narelle Wildman, Dick Roughsey, Percy Tresize and Jimmy Archer, showing up to 80 artists during the gallery’s tenure. Gallery Art Naïve was extremely important in the proliferation of Australian Naïve Art to a far wider audience, including Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley who came to the gallery and commissioned a work by Joanne Netting in the 1980s.
The gallery was a labour of love, manned by a director through the week and by Claude on his only free day, Sunday. Whilst his children played in the front yard, Claude would be entertaining and exhibiting, showing collectors, artists, musicians and influential people the talents of his artistic stable. He would pursue artists he wanted to show to any length, regularly driving hundreds of kilometres away with his wife in the passenger seat and children piled in the back. One such artist was Lorna Chick, whose works are represented in this catalogue. His dedication to onboarding artists was equal to his dedication to them as a devoted supporter, forming many lifelong friendships with artists, clients, and patrons alike.
A true contributor to the broader Australian arts scene, Claude would later open High on Art gallery in Armadale, specialising in Indigenous art, and also founded and generously funded the Lyric Opera Company of Melbourne.
Besides his artist endeavours, Claude was also a councillor of the Stonnington City Council and multiple-time mayor for the City. Claude was appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in 2017, celebrating his lifelong commitment to promoting the arts, multiculturalism and his work in local government.
