Bernard Buffet – Fleurs aux carreaux bleus, 1998
One of the perks of living in London is having access to the diversity and richness in so many things. The city has so much to offer, to start with- art galleries. Without a background in art, I almost never walked into any art galleries unless it is for work simply because I don’t understand it. So when I got a chance to meet Jean-David Malat, the director of the world famous Opera Gallery, I was a little panicking- will I look like a complete idiot in front of an expert who runs an art gallery and built it into a reputable brand?
The simple answer is No. As soon as I arrived the gallery, Jean-David was already there with his representative, greeting me warmly and welcoming me. (I thought I was late but I double checked, I was few minutes early- meaning they were even earlier.) He quickly put me at ease by being so understanding of my lack of art history knowledge. So I ended up spending a good afternoon at the gallery, chatting with Jean-David, who had been extremely patient in answering all my questions, and explaining to me the stories behind the paintings and the artists. The knowledge he has comes from a strong base in the arts, specifically in Modern Masters, and then the art training course he took at Sotheby’s, a lot of it he said also comes from the everyday job training. An art collector himself, he has some rare pieces of great artists like Banksy that he keeps safely at home. Went into the art industry by chance when he opened the London brand of Opera Gallery, discovering new talents from all over the world, and representing some very big names in the industry, Jean-David has built a reputation of himself and the Opera Gallery brand.
Since then, he had collaborated with The Heydar Aliyev Center and the Fonds de Dotation Bernard Buffet in presenting the first Bernard Buffet museum retrospective in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2014. ( the first comprehensive reflective exhibition on the work and life of Bernard Buffet, one of the most famous French painters of the century, to be presented in this country) . During the spring of 2014, an exhibition of rare paintings and drawings by Marc Chagall with the intent to give fellow collectors and art lovers a deeper understanding of the artist’s techniques was held. He has also sold several Picasso masterpieces from the later period of the artist’s life, two of which were acquired during the recession of 2008. Discovered and supported talented artists such as Icelander painter Óli G. Jóhannsson, British virtuoso visual artist Joe Black and German hyperrealist painter Mike Dargas and Spanish painter Lita Cabellut among the long list of names I can barely remember. What an impressive resume!
Mike Dargas, the emerging German artist who was discovered by Jean-David Malat, his work has been described as the closest to photography.
Jean-David showed me around the gallery, explaining to me each and every piece of the art he has there. He is also the curator of the gallery, and as soon as he thinks something might look better on another wall, he will move everything around to make it right. (He does that in his own London home too, where is also an art gallery itself). From the Marc Chagall painting, to the sculpture of Alexander Calder that discreetly hangs above the staircase, Jean-David told me the stories behind each of them, and that makes a whole lot more senses to me when that background knowledge gap is now filled. One of my favourite is this piece by Lita Cabellut. I fell in love with the strong use of colour, strokes and the passion and energy that she poured into the work. The other one that I really liked is one of the paintings of Bernard Buffet, his striking colour and structure of the paintings are very strong and precise.
Lita Cabellut- Color of Dew 34
Marc Chagall – Nature Morte, 1975
He loves contemporary art in particular, and he would go as far as hopping onto the plane just to meet a new artist he saw on Instagram to see their work.
Jean-David Malat, Director of Opera Gallery, an art collector himself, is highly supportive of talents from all over the world.
Today, Jean-David is an art dealer, a renowned consultant and advisor to both established and beginner art collectors, and to an array of important individuals and families from all walks of life – ranging from fashion VIPs to politicians and members of the Royal family. To me, the easy going and friendly Jean-David is also a great teacher. Not only he generously shared his knowledge and patiently taught me something about art, he also gave me a book on Bernard Buffet’s life to read about, because I said one of his paintings is my favourite piece in the gallery. What made him so respectable in the industry is his genuine support and passion in discovering talented artists. A successful man like Jean-David has every right to be put on the pedestal, but his down-to-earth approach and respect for others earn him even more respect. It was such a pleasure having the chance to spend a good few hours with him.
