Design and art advisory

1858 Ltd works in association with the HSBC Private Bank Design and Art Advisory team. It is a leading international art advisory firm providing independent and impartial advice to high net worth individuals, financial institutions, corporations and museums. From its headquarters in London and offices around the world, 1858 services an international client base providing expert advice on all areas of the art collection process.

HSBC Private Bank’s design and art advisory service is a facility for clients aiming to build collections of valuable design pieces or fine art. Whether you are a seasoned collector or you are making your first foray into the world of art and design, we can offer unparalleled access to international expertise and a service that is tailored to meet your own individual needs.

In partnership with leading international art advisory firm 1858 Ltd., we offer a dedicated team of specialist art advisers to facilitate buying and selling of fine art and design pieces. Ancillary services such as auction representation, market and insurance valuations are also available.

Services at a glance

Buying and selling of design and fine art in all sectors of the art market including, Antiquities, Old Masters, Impressionists, Modern and Contemporary
Authentication and attribution
Valuations of individual pieces and collections for both market and insurance purposes
Auction representation including the arrangement of private treaty sales
Logistics management including shipping, import and export licenses, restoration, hanging, museum framing, object mounting and storage
Collection management including curatorial expertise, cataloguing and bespoke database management of a collection
Philanthropy advice on effective wealth giving to the arts
Art lending, raising finance against existing art work
Art related inheritance and estate planning guidance pertaining to art related issues

Benefits

Exclusive access to works in private collections that are not available on the market
Impartial advice being independent of auction houses, galleries and dealers, we provide impartial advice when buying and selling on your behalf
Time savings as we are able to manage all areas of the collecting process on your behalf, we are able to build or sell complete collections with as much or as little involvement from you as you wish
Direct savings due to our buying and negotiating capabilities - we significantly reduce transactional charges which in turn we pass directly on to you
Reducing risk by undertaking thorough due diligence on all transactional decisions, we ensure that potentially costly mistakes are avoided to give you complete confidence in the decision made

Client scenarios

HSBC Private Bank can provide you with expert design and art advisory services. We can help you in a variety of scenarios. For example if:

you are building a hotel and would like to be advised on purchasing cutting edge design works
you are looking to sell an old masters collection discreetly
you are considering building up a corporate art collection or private museum
you require current market and insurance valuations of works in your home
you would like an adviser to provide you with a private highlights tour around a forthcoming art fair

Real life examples of the service offered by HSBC Private Bank:

Our client was looking to sell collection of unattributed paintings
The client had a collection of 15 unidentified European paintings which he wanted to sell prior to the sale of his home. We were asked to authenticate and value the collection. Based on our due diligence, we found that the collection included five 19th Century Russian paintings. At the client’s request, we arranged for the works to be sold at auction. Consequently, several of the works went for 300% over the reserve price and the collection was sold in its entirety.

Another client requested the discreet and private sale of an Old Master’s Painting
The client inherited a highly sought after and valuable Old Master’s painting which he wanted to sell privately. We sold the work via our network of private collectors. Thus the transaction was handled discreetly and the client was able to save associated transactional charges.

Investing in art and design?
Find out how HSBC Private Bank can help.

Legal information
The information on this site refers to services or products which are not available in certain locations, or which, in any relevant location, have components, methods, structures and terms different from the ones described, as well as restrictions on client eligibility. Before proceeding, please refer to the full disclaimer.