1858 Ltd: High-end Consulting

Harvey Mendelson PHOTO: PIERRE NAQUIN They don’t mess around. “Business first!” Fifteen years ago, these two entrepreneurs started their art consulting firm, 1858 Ltd, in response to a need – as yet relatively undefined – for independent and pragmatic advice. From London, 1858 Ltd expanded to Paris and Germany, and its directors are considering setting up in the US. Now one of the best-established agencies today, Viola Raikhel-Bolot and Harvey Mendelson tell us about their work and how it has changed. Could you tell us about one of your best “deals”? Harvey Mendelson: Without a doubt, when we sold what we call the “mega lot”! It was a Swatch watch collection built up over more than a quarter of a century by a Luxemburg client [Paul Dunkel – Ed.], which we put up for auction in Hong Kong – as a single…