Abbott and Holder
IF YOU’RE ANYTHING LIKE an earlier incarnation of me, you all too often find yourself groping for inspiration when the occasion requires you to source and purchase a really special gift. It’s tempting to chuck money at something safe but pedestrian that, in the giving, gratifies neither you nor the recipient. Imagine my delight when I stumbled across Abbott and Holder during a disconsolate trawl of the internet. Not only did shopping become a joy, not a chore, I found myself, with little apparent effort, burnishing a reputation for taste, thoughtfulness and originality. It’s high time to take that chance discovery and pay it forward.
A redoubt of erudite old Bloomsbury that’s made a cosy niche for itself in the 21st century, Abbott and Holder is a gem of an independent gallery that specialises in British drawings and watercolours priced between £250 and £10,000. Every genre, from landscape to costume design, is represented, as are artists both celebrated and obscure. Sign up for its handy ‘List’, circulated over email at regular intervals, and you’ll be kept abreast of the latest acquisitions, as well as the occasional flash sale. Better still, when present buying, you’re not actually obliged to select a picture yourself. You can put money behind the counter, then invite the recipient to go in and make his or her own choice.
See also: The Armoury Of St James’s
