Pieces like Parveen Dhatt’s Your Husband Works Too could find a temporary home in your living room (Courtesy of Partial Gallery)
Over the past couple of years, Canadians have had a chance to sit at home and stare at the wall for a good long while. And a growing group of them is becoming more selective about what’s hanging there, staring back at them.
Tammy Yiu Coyne, who co-founded the Toronto-based online gallery Partial, is one of several art dealers who have begun renting more art to private individuals as an affordable alternative to buying. Yiu Coyne says Partial’s online traffic increased by 130 per cent since the start of the pandemic and art rentals more than doubled from 2019 to 2020. The upward trend has continued, with a 43 per cent increase in 2021 compared to 2020.
She co-founded the online sales and rentals business in 2016 with the goal of getting more Canadian art on more walls. Individuals interested in dipping a toe into the world of collecting can browse the gallery’s holdings of works by Canadian artists, both emerging and established. Rental prices range from $25 up to several hundred dollars per month, with purchase prices from $35 to $10,000 (though the majority are in the $750 to $2,500 range).
Customers have the choice of buying a piece outright or renting it by the month for up to three months, with the rental fee going toward the full purchase price if the client eventually decides to buy.
“Diving right in with a purchase can be intimidating,” says Yiu Coyne. “This model allows people to spend time with new art on their walls before deciding whether to buy or not.”
It’s a model that corporate clients looking to decorate offices, waiting rooms, restaurants and film sets have been using for years. Yui Coyne chalks up the more recent expansion of her consumer base in part to the lockdowns, a fact of life that she says has made some of her clients consider more deeply how they enrich their home life. And, while an increase in disposable income due to travel and dining restrictions likely plays a role, too, she believes there’s been a larger shift in values that’s driving the interest in art as much as any other factor.
“People have had time to reflect. They care more about where they put their money,” says Yiu Coyne. “You can buy something on Amazon or you can support an artist in your neighbourhood.”
At North Van Arts in British Columbia, art rental coordinator Florene Belmore naturally had concerns as West Coast offices emptied and film sets shut down at the beginning of the pandemic. The non-profit organization has been renting art since 1969, but mostly to corporate and film industry clients. Yet, as corporate rentals fell off, private rentals and sales surged and the gallery is now generating about 20 per cent more revenue from rentals and sales than before the pandemic, the majority from rentals to individual consumers.
“I think the pandemic downtime created a contemplative mood that led to a greater appreciation for art,” says Belmore. “And think of all the Zoom meetings that needed something in the background.”
At the Art Gallery of Ontario rentals program, the shift from corporate to individual rentals was dramatic. Pre-pandemic, it was roughly a 70/30 split between corporate clients versus private. In the last six months, about 80 per cent of new rentals were placed in residential homes.
“Residential is carrying the revenue right now,” says AGO art rental and sales coordinator Clair Kyle, though she saw corporate rentals beginning to return as the Omicron wave receded.
The Canada Council Art Bank in Ottawa holds some 17,000 contemporary and modern Canadian artworks, all of which can be rented to businesses or branches of government—but not individuals. The council’s art rental program manager Rebecca Huxtable says that, like most businesses and organizations, the Art Bank continues to evaluate new opportunities associated with the future of work.
Despite a downturn in corporate rentals early in the pandemic, Huxtable says, the industry is poised to grow. To entice workers back to an office that many now view as optional, employers are putting more time and money into creating an aesthetically pleasing and healthy office environment.
“Better lighting, quality furniture, plants and original art work are all a part of that,” says Huxtable.
She also sees the art rental model benefitting from the societal shift toward the sharing economy.
“Rideshares, food delivery, co-working—these have all seen an uptick. I see art rental as fitting in there quite nicely,” says Huxtable.
As for how artists feel about the growing residential rental trend, Yiu Coyne at Partial says that a painting hung in a corporate law firm might be seen by more people, “but there are a lot of good vibes in seeing your art in someone’s home.”
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These days you can rent just about anything thanks to apps like Ruckify, originally launched in Ottawa and reaching as far as Austin. Rentals aren’t the only sector getting a facelift. Find out how Krazy Binz, a retail chain launched by accountants, has tapped into a market of shoppers willing to line up for a chance to comb through large bins for mystery deals.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
Pieces like Parveen Dhatt’s Your Husband Works Too could find a temporary home in your living room (Courtesy of Partial Gallery)
