London – Christie’s will hold the auction of Peter Petrou Tales of the Unexpected in London on 30 January 2019. This eclectic sale epitomises the addictive and contagious passion for collecting which underpins the most intriguing collections, invariably sparked by insatiable curiosity and a sense of joy. Presenting an opportunity to travel around the world in 150 lots, spanning 3,000 years of history from 1000 BC to the 21st Century, the sale comprises early sculpture, decorative arts, science and natural history, Japanese, Chinese and Indian works of art, alongside the ethnographical and the plain unusual. With estimates starting from £300 to £100,000, the collection is expected to realise in the region of £1 million. The 10-day pre-sale public exhibition will open on 14 January, providing a veritable feast for the eyes and the imagination.

Benedict Winter, Head of Sale: “Christie’s is thrilled to offer the collection of Peter Petrou, whose infectious taste has delighted clients for over forty years with his diverse, and at times eccentric, take on human history. With so many categories of artistic creation represented, Tales of the Unexpected represents an exciting and intriguing journey through the world and will captivate collectors, seasoned and new.”

Peter and Leonora Petrou commented: “We have enjoyed curating exhibitions at fairs in New York and London including the Winter Show on Park Avenue, Grosvenor House, Masterpiece and PAD, where we have been able to express our wide-ranging interests and incorporate unexpected and diverse art objects from around the world and from many periods in history. This eclectic combination has led to meeting an equally exciting range of people who have become clients and friends and it is these people whose tastes we wish to continue to nurture. This is why we have decided after over forty years of exhibiting to accept Christie’s extremely kind offer to host a ‘Peter Petrou sale’ and concentrate our energies on the smaller number of collectors with whom we have built close relationships. We hope people will enjoy our stories through ages and cultures and take away with you an unexpected piece of history.”

STORIES THROUGH AGES AND CULTURES – insights shared by Leonora Petrou: “May I have a look around?” said the five-year-old Peter, imitating his father as they entered the local antique shop. The only objects at the little boy’s eye level were books, and the kindly elderly gentleman (to whom he would later be apprenticed) was delighted to sell the dusty, gold edged, leather bound tomes to the enthusiastic collector for pocket money - refusing any payment at all if it should be a Bible!

The little girl stared across the lake at the reflected concrete curves and glass façade of the Presidential palace of Brasilia. Having arrived from the cobbled streets and overwhelmingly ornate, gilded baroque churches of the old capital, Bahia, the Modernist city perched high in the mountains appeared incomprehensible, but completely wonderful, to the eight-year-old Leonora.

These were seminal moments, each sparking a life-long search to understand beauty in all its forms. Later, in each other’s company, our particular interests merged and developed and our collections found their narrative in the sense of history expressed by each object. No artwork is merely decoration: each expresses the culture of the people by whom it was made.

To view the sale in full please click here to see the e-catalogue.