Oddly enough, this sounds, but just after a slight decline in the general tension from the global financial crisis, interest in culture, art, and historical heritage began to flourish in Dubai. Once at the epicenter of these events, two brothers - collectors from India - Dinsha and Munchi Schroff, the owners of Ancestry, and their partner Rajesh Shan, the owner of Rifca, decided to join forces and open a unique art gallery in Dubai that would please everyone who is not indifferent to true art and antiques.
Answering my question about what is presented today in the new ProArt Gallery located in the Palm Strip shopping center on Jumeirah Beach Road, Munchie Schroff said: “We brought to Dubai a unique collection of rare crystal chandeliers made by such famous factories throughout the world as Osler and Baccarat. The uniqueness of our collection is that, for example, the production of English crystal Osler was stopped in the 1920s. We had to collect chandeliers, sconces, lamps in different countries of the world - in the palaces of Indian maharajas, the ruling houses of Europe, h Many chandeliers from our collection are so old that we had to drill special holes for electrical wiring in them, because they were originally made for candle or gas lighting. No one in the world has such a collection as ours, every thing in it - one of a kind. There is no other one. And if we talk about the quality of crystal, then, firstly, even the names of the manufacturers speak for themselves, and secondly, listen to the sound that any ceiling makes if you hit it with a pencil , eg". Indeed, the plafond after a light blow, hooted no worse than the church bell, and a rounded and low sound hung for a long time under the arches of the gallery.
Who are your potential customers, of course, other than representatives of local ruling families?
Our collection is the quintessence of luxury and a royal lifestyle. In addition to crystal lighting fixtures, we also offer crystal palace furniture, dishes, vases and other artifacts. You are right, we have many clients from the ruling families of the region, however, by presenting our collection in this gallery, we hope that wealthy people who know the value of this kind of investment and are not indifferent to art, especially those who own luxury real estate in different countries of the world, including the UAE, are sure to pick up something for themselves here.
You said in different countries of the world. Does this mean that a buyer from Russia, for example, can purchase an antique chandelier here, and hang it in his house in Moscow?
Of course. We are ready to deliver our collection products to anywhere in the world, in appropriate packaging and with all accompanying documents. Moreover, our specialist will fly to where necessary and attach the chandelier to the ceiling.
I understand that there are probably no guarantees for antique pieces. And what if the shade breaks? After all, the cost of your chandeliers reaches hundreds of thousands of dollars ...
Since the palace halls used to be colossal in size, dozens of chandeliers and sconces lit them, as a rule. Of course, over time, something crashed, something remained. Here from these residues we managed to collect a decent amount of "spare" parts with one design or another or another. We are ready, if necessary, to replace almost any broken ceiling or suspension.
In addition to unique crystal collections, the ProArt Gallery, which was attended by many VIP guests, presents contemporary art, sculpture and painting, including works by such outstanding masters as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Carlos Nadal and others.
