The Romy Rey Collection
20th September 2022
The remarkable collection that inspired a London-based artist is being sold at auction following her death.
Swiss-born Romy Rey trained in Paris and Geneva before settling in London and embarking on a twenty year long artistic career that saw her exhibiting across Europe.
She drew strong inspiration from her extensive collection of Pre-Columbian, African and Oceanic Art, which she enjoyed depicting in striking or unusual settings, or against vibrant coloured grounds.
“The whole of her five-storey house in Richmond bustled with her collection – nearly all on open display,” said specialist Will Hobbs of Woolley and Wallis, who is handling the sale of the collection. “Pre-Columbian pottery figures nestled among wooden masks from the Ivory Coast and beaded Naga headdresses; it was busy but still impeccably curated.”
The auction on 21st September offers the first part of Rey’s collection with some 260 lots of early pottery, stone carvings and wooden masks and sculpture, with estimates ranging between £100 and £5,000. The total is expected to fetch in the region of £150,000.
A large collection of jewellery from the collection will be sold in a special timed online sale in January 2023, with the second part of the main collection coming under the hammer in February.
“The collection is far-reaching in terms of the areas in encompasses, both artistically and geographically,” continued Hobbs. “It has been a pleasure to bring to the market and has provided a real insight into the mind and world of this accomplished artist whose work is held in private collections round the world.”
Further details of the collection can be found on woolleyandwallis.co.uk.
