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Honolulu, Hawaii
How is it that an Object can actually change one's Life? For the Good, I mean. For the very good, in fact, not even just the better, but the Best! I'm not talking dust mops here, but "That Without Which Man (the generic) Cannot Live", remember? Not bread nor indoor plumbing.
When a dear friend and fellow artist/decorator walked me into Richard Gervais's amazing warehouse, I was bowled over by the aesthetic abundance of the surroundings....so much beauty flooding the eye. So much exquisite taste evident all around us...and the stories behind it all, reflecting the world travels of Richard Gervais, sophisticated connoisseur of "Things - Wonderful Things!", to quote Howard Carter upon opening the Tomb of you-know-who! Four exquisitely carved wood panels hanging on a wall caught my attention; they emanated a fragrance which, Richard informed me, was camphorwood. 19th century Chinese, they depicted the Four Seasons. Flashbacks to my trip aboard the Orient Express came to me as I thought "Eureka!" just the solution to my long-standing problem of dining-room-lanai doors simply not up to par with the rest of my eclectic, atmospheric home in the shadow of Diamond Head.
I was afraid to ask the price of these museum-quality pieces, but hardly believing my good luck when he told me, soon found myself arranging with Richard's wise and economical counsel to have them shipped to my house in Hawaii, where they along with a multitude of tea lights and 1930's vinyls, add their magnificence to my most diligent, devoted work, that of creating daily the Dream I call my Life. Thank you, Richard Gervais! |
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San Francisco, California
To visit Richard’s gallery is to step through the looking glass into an exquisite world of beautiful things. Each personally selected art item carries the story of a hunter-gatherer, a connoisseur searching for the unique, the captivating, the creations of artisans from around the globe. The pieces you will see here, some museum quality, some utilitarian, some decorative reflect Richard’s desire to expose his clients and his friends to the cultures and art of exotic worlds, to the extraordinary.
For a memorable adventure, do yourself a favor when traveling to San Francisco and include this “museum” experience. Definitely worth five stars in a guidebook. Besides being fun, it’s visually entertaining and wonderful for unique gifts large or small. Richard is a gregarious fellow, a great storyteller and a welcoming, jolly man.
The pictures here do not reveal the glorious safari of actually touring his extensive collection. The warehouse alone contains some forty years of various journeys around the globe. And his gallery brims with even more treasure.
You’ll enjoy. Guaranteed!
Here’s a tip. Sometimes he accepts traveling companions on his expeditions and explorations. His array of contacts in the antique and art communities can lead to surprising places where individual tribal and ethnic objet d’art are still being crafted. I was lucky enough to join him on such a tour. Magical! |
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