A Conversation with John Russo, CEO of Maddox Gallery.

ROX Talks…In Conversation with John Russo, CEO at Maddox Gallery.

What does the world of luxury look like in post-lockdown society? We spoke with friend of the brand, John Russo, about the new normal we all face.

He shares his views on what the luxury industry will look like after lockdown and why it’s going to be about one thing, exclusive experiences. 

Speaking of the impact of the pandemic on the luxury industry, John stresses the importance of one-of-a-kind moments for clients.

Maddox Gallery has long been a disrupter in the art world, much like ROX in the world of jewellery and luxury watches, with a commitment to doing things a little differently.

And as we move forward out of lockdown John shares with us the importance of people beginning to visit galleries and for Maddox Gallery the possibility of creating intimate events and exhibitions for clients once again.

Listen more now.

Transcript

Kyron Keogh

Greetings John, it’s lovely to see you. How are you?

John Russo

I’m good buddy, it’s good to see you too. It’s been too long. I can’t even remember the last time you and I caught up in the real world, or even the last time I was in Scotland. I really miss Scotland and I can’t wait to go back. Last time I was there, actually, was for my birthday two years ago. I went out with my wife for my birthday. It’s good to see you, man.

Kyron Keogh

Pop back in. Actually, I think it was 15 years ago we saw each other up in Scotland. A different life in those days. London’s out of lockdown, I’m a bit jealous we’ve got another week to go. How does it feel and how are you feeling?

John Russo

It feels good. You know the city is bustling and I think it’s because non-essential retail opened back up. People I think are eager to get and consume again and they’re being sensible – the amount of people wearing masks. 

The galleries have reopened for Maddox and the response has been phenomenal. The first day we opened, or the first 48 hours we reopened, we were working with a brand new artist called Ross Muir, who is actually from Scotland, and he had a bunch of work with us and the work sold out in less than 24 hours. 

So people are eager to get out and consume and experience art again. The city in general is bustling. Looking about it’s not a ghost town like it was a few months ago people are enjoying consuming again I actually think you can see the faces of the hospitality team in London smiling – they’re happy asking what can I get you? 

The nice thing is people aren’t taking it for granted and being relatively sensible by wearing masks and being respectful of people’s space. 

It’s a brave new world and I don’t think anything is going to go back to normal the way it has been but it’s also going to feel different and better and more enjoyable as we move forward now. 

Kyron Keogh

We can’t wait. Maddox was already a very digitally focused business a little bit like ourselves – we have a really strong e-commerce part of our business. 

But we’re an experiential business at the end of the day, at our locations we have our champagne bars, we have our lounges and people love that experience and we saw that when we reopened before Christmas time. We had that pent-up demand. I guess for Maddox it’s much the same.

How has the pandemic impacted your business and how has it changed the way you showcase and sell art?

John Russo

Maddox prides itself on new and innovative ways that people can consume and experience and ultimately purchase art. When the pandemic hit Maddox last March 2020, we immediately looked at it through the lens of, first and foremost a lot of people are going to be sitting at home not knowing what to do with themselves. We’ve dramatically underestimated how convenient it was to go out on the weekend to the pub and all that sort of stuff and also all these people sitting at home. And what are they doing? They’re on social media and they’re consuming. 

We realised that there is, this isn’t a token thing that people like to do, they like to go to galleries and museums, and they like to experience things. By removing that from them there was a real void. So we created, we explored virtual reality solutions, we explored remote solutions where people could sort of come in and do anything from a 3D tour of the gallery, we created completely bespoke virtual reality spaces where the work was hanging at 8k resolution quality. 

I remember there was a space we created for David Yarrow, another famous Scotsman and one of our best fine art photographers, we created this experience for David and you get to view his images in 8k but the entire space was fictional – it was a virtual reality construct – and we got people commenting saying ‘your gallery is gorgeous’ because it looked real.

People would consume that way and people were comfortable buying an extraordinary amount. They were sitting at home thinking I’ve either wanted to get something for that wall in our room, I want to get a present for my wife. Then a lot of people with the right levels of savings and income were thinking I want to start outing my energy into creating a portfolio of art, I really want to be a genuine collector. 

There’s a passion for it. Not too dissimilar to collecting watches there’s an extraordinary passion for it.

Kyron Keogh

Has the last 12 months opened you up to new audiences within the UK and globally. The one things we’ve seen with London having such a big market share of the watch and jewellery market, with London effectively being closed for international travel / retail in the last 12 months there’s been a big refocus by the watch brands and the jewellery brands on what’s happening domestically. 

We’ve seen two halves; regions have performed well when the shops have been opened. Places like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, these big cities where people are still shopping and there’s been this big shift from London.

I’ve always kind of had this issue, being a regional operator there’s always talk about London, London, London. Everything’s happening in London. You’ve got Harrods, you’ve got Selfridges and I think a lot of people have forgotten there is a lot of wealth in the regions. People do enjoy luxury and it’s put this spotlight back on the sort of regional markets.

I’m interested to know if you’ve seen that trend. 

John Russo

You couldn’t be more right. There was a desire originally that all roads lead to London. You’ve even got people from other countries who will only buy art in London. They’ve got perfectly fine galleries in their back yard and phenomenal local artists, but you travel to the Mecca, you travel to London to purchase your art or your luxury goods. 

What we’ve found is there is that strong desire to consume art, and this translates to luxury goods, in the regional areas. You can still tap into that by having an effective remote strategy. That begins first and foremost with social media. We found, and I’m glad you have found it too, an incredibly strong desire. The appetite hasn’t softened at all, hasn’t weakened at all. 

One of the things Maddox does very well is that we have some very impressive galleries, and nothing beats the experience of coming into the gallery. Yet when you can’t come to the gallery the experience of the journey, the customer journey for Maddox, the client journey, the collector journey for Maddox is by no means weakened. You still feel that it’s not just an online experience, it’s a Maddox experience and that’s the critical part when you’re selling anything at a significant price point.

Whenever you’re tapping into luxury you have to distinguish yourself from any other ‘e-tailer’ that’s out there. You have to distinguish yourself from the Amazon’s of the world. The only way to do that is to really make it feel for every client that there’s a journey they’re going to experience. 

Obviously the go-to, and I remember you and I discussing this 15 years ago - what is the experience of ROX when someone walks in – from the staff address to the sense, the five senses of retail. And you know the same thing now applies online, that comfort that's required, that experience is required, it really gives security to people thinking you know what I'm going to invest in that.

We've had people spending extraordinary amount on phenomenal art, just like I'm sure you do with jewellery and watches entirely online. And that can only be done if there's confidence in a safe and enjoyable experience, a branded experience online, that's complemented with an effective – and one of the things we do incredibly well - social media. And it's got to be complemented with an incredibly effective social media strategy, which is inviting people into an ecosphere, into an ecosystem, to a stratosphere of how we communicate and what that brand means. 

Kyron Keogh

I've seen you talk about the white glove delivery approach because it's all well and good, you know, showing the products in a virtual environment and then of course, they see it they buy it, but the most important part then of course, is when they received the goods.

We've adopted the same policy where you know, significant purchases, we do have that white glove delivery experience where we bring it to the customer we do the handover, we explain and I guess you guys have had to do the same as well because you can't just pop it into a Royal Mail parcel and send it away to the customer.

John Russo

I mean the key thing here is, we you know what’s interesting for me in the compliment, you know going off topic for a second completely different brand. 

I had a Peloton delivered during the pandemic and you know essentially, it's just basically a bike you know, it's nothing you can easily dismiss it, you know, but the experience was phenomenal.

They came in the Peloton branded van, the gentlemen who stepped out were both incredibly well polished but they're essentially in tracksuits incredibly but well presented, well-spoken. You can see that they were people who enjoyed what they were doing, they enjoyed the bike - they clearly got one themselves or they certainly demonstrate that.

And you know with our technicians when they drop off artwork, these are technicians who actually have experience. They're not you know, guys who could work for you know, any courier company - these are experienced well trained people in in identifying the best place to hang out work. They can speak eloquently about the artwork but not in a salesman type way. They can talk about their, I mean, I've got technicians who are actually artists, you know, they're just making money on the side while they're trying to virgin their art career. 

That level of passion is what is required when you can't offer the equivalent of a white glove service, though, you know, we do have you know, the staff go out and we actually have with Maddox black gloves because it just suits the branding. They come with the black gloves and they've got the black uniform. 

And it's a little bit more labour intensive delivering artwork especially if you're delivering like a giant Yarrow or, or a large you know, a large Harland Mirror or anything that you know, depending what you what you’re having delivered, and especially if it's coming frame, they're weighty, they’re weighty pieces. 

You know, during the pandemic, I probably had three or four pieces installed in my home and that you know, very quickly that can be a, you know, a strenuous exercise, but it's all part of that experience.

And the technicians are great because they talk about the artwork with the client and they know when to back off if the clients aren't interested. But they're intelligent about it, you know, so when something gets delivered, the technicians are fully aware of the history of the artist and the piece itself. And that's, that's very important, because I think that complements the entire experience.

Kyron Keogh

I mean, the one challenge, I guess we've had with selling our product, and our jewellery and our watches online is people love to touch jewellery. They love to see it, they need to see the inherent beauty in it, and the finish. And that's always been the way, it's always going to be a challenge in our industry, I think to translate that to, to digital retail, but I guess with art, it’s much easier to see. 

But I guess you still, if you see it in person that you get that reflection, there’s elements you can't quite, you know, do what I do online too for you.

But the galleries are open, you know, how and what will you be doing differently now after the pandemic? 

John Russo

Putting aside the obvious safety concerns that need to be respected, because we still are in a pandemic, it's just after locked down and we will have to be respectful of that, the key thing is, is finding ways to bring people back to the galleries.

I mean, we don't even have to aggressively promote the galleries being open. The the amount of people that messaged us, after the Prime Minister's last announcement saying, ‘Do I have to book an appointment? Can I just come in?’ was extraordinary. 

I mean, I'm not I'm not talking about just a few I'm doing literally hundreds of emails, you know, ‘Can I come in this Thursday? Do I need to book an appointment?’

And, you know, you don't have to book an appointment to come to Maddox at the moment.

Thankfully, you know, with the way that we're open, we can control the volume of people coming into the gallery at any given time - we were sensitive to it. 

But the critical thing now is how do we reintroduce exhibitions and events, the opportunity, because nothing beats, being able to meet with an artist and actually talk to an artist, this is the person who created this work. 

Because the authenticity of a piece, the brilliance of a piece is so well complemented when you speak directly to an artist and you just get to hear that passion and their voice, you know, and get to hear their strategy by why this was created, and then get the assurance that this is something that was a one off. 

It's not a commercial, you know, device that I'm gonna print millions of this this image, but this is something rare, unique, I've made it and I'm willing to sell it and essentially give it to someone else to have in their home.

It's the beginning of a journey and it's not trying to make it more romantic than it is. Because that's the journey that you know, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring and Richard Hamilton, all these artists who are phenomenally, you know, sought after artists now in their deaths, and their work is extraordinarily expensive. 

It began with them deciding to create something and then share it with the world. So our goal is to bring people into the galleries, have experiences where we're going to recommence artists talks, we're going to recommence artistic director talks, and just generate a welcoming feeling for people to come back and visit and experience, you know, an eclectic range. And this year alone, we've got at least I think off the top of my head, six solo exhibitions plan with artists from around the world. 

You know, I'm very much looking forward to Miaz Brothers and Incarcerated Jerkface, who's a phenomenal street artist out of the East Coast. They're the two next exhibitions, and there's no doubt in my mind, based on the waiting list, for those works, for those artists, that the both those shows will sell out, probably within the first hour that they open. 

And it's a phenomenal position to be in, you know, not only do we have some extraordinary artists, but they're extraordinary artists that are exclusive to Maddox and the popularity is phenomenal. 

Kyron Keogh

I mean, who would have believed, you know, 12 months ago that we would have had, you know, the shops and galleries closed for me in Scotland, in Glasgow, we've been closed for about eight months, throughout the whole year. But we've had to adapt, we've had to work out a way of operating and that's just that's human nature.

We were terrified at the beginning because we had no idea how long this would go on and I remember somebody saying to me, well, budget for 12 weeks of closures, you know, at that time, it was terrifying. 

But you know we’ve adapted; we’ve worked and we’re still here and customers are still shopping.

We’re expecting this roaring 20s the boom, as they’ve all been talking about, and we've seen, you know, our stores in England are actually open this week, so it's been busy and I'm really pleased but, you know, we've all had to adapt to digital. The thing I've missed the most for the last 12 months is events like you've mentioned there. We've always been very active and engaging with our customers, bringing the brands into our stores, presenting products, and doing things completely differently has always been our Hallmark. 

What do you think the future holds for luxury retail now? We've had this reset, clearly things are going to be different going forward. But you know, not looking at this year, looking at a couple of years’ time, you know, the experiential retail model for us is clearly still here, you need that as well, there is the underpinned by strong digital offering, but I'd be interested to see what you think the future holds.

John Russo

I don't know, if you remember, you know, 15 years ago, when we were at Las Vegas, at the conferences and even when I came to Scotland, we talked about the future of luxury retail back then. I mean, this is 2005 / 2006, you know, it has to be experience driven. 

And it was looking at everything from you know, what, what is the what is the genuine walk to your, to your store, to your location and now it's evolved beyond that.

We look at every micro facet of the consumer journey at Maddox, from the first email that you receive as part of any monitoring programme, to the social media journey. I mean, everything gets examined.

I think the future for luxury is very, very strong, I mean, extraordinarily strong. People will always want to have an acquire and desire to own you know, luxury items, whether it's watches, cars, artwork, jewellery.

The future of the industry has to be, has to be about the experience, and I think those experiences will be by appointment only.

They'll be smaller and capacity, but they'll be much more potent. I remember ROX doing it, and we certainly do it. We have a few hundred people into the gallery location for the launch of an artist and we've got celebrities coming in with you know, we've got Cara DeLevingne, we’ve got the cast of Game of Thrones coming in. 

It’s phenomenal, it becomes a bit of a party, a bit of a social event. I think those days will be a while before they return. But what will happen in the first instance will be more sophisticated and more intimate experiences for clients.

One of the things I'd like to do this year is to do a dinner in the gallery.

We've done them before, but  a nice intimate dinner in the gallery where we have, you know, two dozen people come in, it's certainly dramatically less than a couple of hundred people pushing their way through Maddox Street location, with the gorgeous facades.

It’s a brilliant location to visit but it's, it's a very different experience to have two dozen people at dinner. One of the last dinners we had we had Serena Williams, it was done around Wimbledon. You know, the attention was phenomenal. That sort of intimate experience, I think is the future where people are coming in and it's less is more, but doing more of those, if that makes sense. 

Kyron Keogh

Yeah, and exactly the same as I share your view completely. Dinners, experiences, just drinking that real emotional connection with the customer. But I think you're right, they're going to be on a smaller scale, more intimate and, as you said, more potent. 

So, let's roll back the clock. I mean, 15 years ago, we had some great times together. You've had a really interesting career. Tell us about it. And how did you end up working at Maddox?

John Russo

Yeah, I mean, we obviously met because I was working in handling international operations for a fairly large diamond company and as part of their international sales team. 

The journey has been extraordinary. I mean, I'm so thankful to that experience with, you know, part supplier, and then they did the De Beers and to enjoy that experience. And it brought me over to England, because, you know, I was in Australia and thankfully, I'm a dual citizen because my mother was British.

So it I took that plunge, when I was much, much younger, the thing you don't want what's the harm and moving to the other side of the world? And it was, you know, really, I mean, a good thing, you know, I met people like you. I remember actually, I was just gonna say I remember all the, all the Scotsman and all the Irishman, you know, like you and Michael Lang and Richard Hartman. I mean, I tell you what, my first Christmas here, I remember like you and Michael saying, ‘What are you doing?’, I said I’m not doing anything, I didn't have any family. And, you know, you said come up to Scotland and I said can't do that. It's very sweet, though, you know, and, and it's been a great journey, and my entire career has been in the luxury sector predominantly.

And then it was a transition to the art world and it kind of happened organically where I ended up working with a few family offices that were specialising in art and acquiring. A lot of legal negotiation is required in acquiring copyright and, you know, very boring side of the luxury sector. 

I think three years ago now, I got introduced to one of the principles behind the scenes here at Maddox, creative director Jay Rutland, who, you know, we connected and eventually, you know, as fate would allow it, I met with some other shareholders at Maddox and they invited me to join their, their company as CEO.

They realised that they had hit a tipping point where to grow, they needed someone to work internally on the on the infrastructure of the business. And I tell you what, and I'm not just saying that, because I'm the CEO, it's been the best decision I've ever made.

It's such a great company to work for. The culture is one, I remember Peter Smith, who was a mentor of mine for years who used to work for Hearts on Fire. I think he’s gone back actually, in Boston.

He said the best businesses to work for are the ones where you can reach out and touch the walls, and you're affecting the DNA of the business. And there is so much good stuff to have to achieve and do here that I just simply haven’t look back. 

It’s been great. I mean, you know, I think this will probably be the last thing that I ever do. They just see this taking me to my retirement because the potential with this business is extraordinary. And it's only, you know, we just had our fifth birthday in December last year.

We couldn't properly celebrate it because of the pandemic and the lockdown but you know, I think that Maddox is poised to be a dominating force in not only the art sector and the gallery sector, but in the art investment sector as well. You know, that is certainly an industry where we are leading the way.

Kyron Keogh

I couldn't agree more. And, you know, there's massive synergies between what you're doing or what we're doing. I mean, if you look at the art industry 10 years ago, it was pretty stuffy. It was, you know, it was it was it was a bit like the jewellery industry 15 years ago, you know, 20 years ago, when we started ROX, it was really stuffy. 

We talk about that how our attitude was well let’s shake this up, let’s make it exciting, make it different. We used to play music in the shops 20 years ago, which nobody was doing.  I mean, it was it was literally as ridiculous as that, it was funny. 

That energy, that excitement comes across in your social activity, I get all your emails through, you know, and it's a joy to read the insight, the interest, and you're doing it differently. And I guess that's what we set out to do and we still do in our industry.

John Russo

I think you're doing that, I think you are doing a cure. I mean I get the ROX emails as well. I don’t sign up for a lot of jewellery related emails anymore, but off the top of my head, I like subscribing to other emails because if nothing else is a teachable moment you can see even if it's not a competitor or what is a you know, a comparable luxury brands are doing with their e-marketing. 

And you know, I signed up for yours ages ago now I can't remember. I signed up for you know, that Tiffany and LVMH and Cartier, Bulgari, and, you know, one of the things that you guys are certainly doing well is that you can see that the approach is well thought out and sophisticated. I just cringe when you see a brand, you know, clearly using, you know, an elementary email marketing campaign, you know, or E campaign software. I won’t bad mouth any of them, but I'm sure you know who they are. 

They’re just sending out a template format, thinking that's going to be enough where these e-shots are powerful. Now, you know, you need to really be capturing attention and figure out what your goal is. And it's all part of that journey. 

You’re right, I mean, I'm smiling and you're saying it, but you know, 15 / 20 years ago, the independent jewellery industry, even the established ones, even the Tiffany's of the world, and the Debeers, you know, that they were struggling with how do we break out of the mold of what are our perceptions of what the consumer journey should be. Which is, you can only sell if you're, you know, if you're an older generation and there's no music in the stores and there's and it was a terrible perception.

We’ve got a phenomenal team of all ages and backgrounds you know, and you know, the value that they bring is not because necessarily, you know, being you know, GIA certified like we do wouldn't you know, they're not Christie’s certified, there were plenty of other Sotherbies trained and Christie's trained staff. What they bring is a genuine passion. You know, they can speak passionately about the art and they and they know their stuff historically. We invest in their training. 

All of this comes into play. Then when you look at the experience, because ultimately the audience that was existing 15 years ago, they're just getting older. There's a whole new audience of people wanting to consume, and they want to consume differently. 

They the way they buy, the experience that they're looking for is completely different. And you know, you guys are a testament to that to sort of leading the way and trying to do things differently. I've really got to get up to Scotland. You’ll have to forgive me but are you guys still in the Arcade?

Kyron Keogh

The Argyle Arcade, yeah we’re still there.

John Russo

I'd be amazed to see what that looks like. Now, I know the last time I was there, I’d be astonished. I think. 

Kyron Keogh

Hopefully, we kicked everybody up backsides really when we relaunched the store in there 10 years ago, and everyone's moved on. And now we actually have another project we're working on in there too, just to take it to the next level. You've got to keep progressing. You got to keep moving forward. You can't sit back.

Let's turn it turn to art. You mentioned a couple of Scottish artists already today. Ross Muir, David, Yarrow. You know, what's hot in the British art world right now?

John Russo

I don't know the British art world. I mean, certainly Banksy is extraordinarily popular, and I feel comfortable now laying claim that we're probably the single most prolific and biggest dealer of Banksy works is certainly in the UK, at least and I'd argue on a global scale.

We have to be registering somewhere in the top 10, or whatever it might be. You know, the Banksy market has been extraordinary in the last 12 months, and I think that's almost become a defining characteristic of the pandemic. 

But to shift slightly, you know, right now, our focus for this year is on artists who obey the rules of scarcity. You know, the ones who aren't producing copious amounts of work but doing a limited amount and in an extraordinarily brilliant way the Miaz Brothers is going to be our first exhibition this year. And I'm not just saying in the plug them that that was a deliberate choice. The Miaz Brothers are phenomenal artists but for Maddox, I feel it's a career defining turning point that we're representing these artists exclusively now, that their work is exceptional. 

And the popularity thankfully, Maddox has been contributed dialing up the popularity, even more does an interview with the GQ Magazine coming out, I think in the next month or so with them, that we've arranged, that will no doubt skyrocket their interest.

I'm particularly excited about these. As the name suggests, there are a couple of Italian brothers who are remarkably talented artists, but old school artists, you know, it's almost like, you know, looking at a an old school, you know, Diamond cutter, like Martin DeWitt or something like that, you know, these guys are, you know, these guys are proper painters. 

Now, they're really, really good. And then after that, we've got Incarcerated Jerkface. He's just brilliant, you know, a street artist who, you know, his, his work is, you know, he doesn't do a lot of work. 

But what the work that he does, not only is it incredibly sought after, and designed, but it's performing exceptionally well auction. 

And then we've got the, the, you know, coming up later this year, we're going to definitely be doing something with David Yarrow, because it's been too long since we've had him in the gallery because of the pandemic. 

And I'm looking particularly forward to the 10-year anniversary for the Conner Brothers. And that those are the artists that we kind of represent, you know, and of course, you know, Ross Muir just sold out. We’re kind of spoiled for choice at the moment, there is such an eclectic and diverse collection of artists.

 You know I’ve got a Bochner behind me in my office here. I mean, there's it's, it's exciting times, you know, there's the but it's certainly leading the way wouldn't be Banksy right now, you know, in terms of the amount of clients who we've put into Banksy work who now have it hanging in their homes.

I speaking to a client the other day, actually, once again, from Scotland, ironically enough, and he was he was asking us to, you know, if we want to exhibit the work in the gallery again. Just to save him the hassle of insurance because of the work has gone up astronomically in value since he's bought it.

Yeah, I mean, the art market is exciting. Thankfully, and really thankfully, because a year ago, I was uncertain. But looking back 13 months later, I'm so pleased and proud to say that the market has not only endured and survived, but it's thrived.

And now that we're out of lockdown, I can only I can just I can see getting better. 

Kyron Keogh

You've talked about Kaws and I keep getting emails about it on a regular basis. Why is it so in demand and collectible?

John Russo

You know, I mean the Kaws market is hot right now. I mean, a desire for his work, I mean Kaws is phenomenal at promoting himself as well. I mean, if you if you're not following him on Instagram, I seriously encourage anyone to go and do that. Because, you know, that's another perfect example of a great artist who managed to resonate with so many people.

Kaws is in a completely different level, you know, Kaws is beyond anything that's out there right now. Kaws is at that Hearst, Banksy stratosphere, where the popularity and the desire to just know what he's doing next, and when's the next exhibition going to be? And, you know, the popularity is, it's, it's absolutely phenomenal. And we've actually, we've actually got a Kaws sculpture, we’ve got many Kaws sculptures in storage but one of them is in the gallery at the moment. 

It’s such a Kaws sculpture and obviously, that you create a social media moment, because you can take a photo of them, they're immensely engaging and intoxicating, but they're also popular.

I mean, the amount of requests that we get from people going, can you source this for us? Do you have any in stock, you have any clients that might want to sell one, you know, once again, it's just the popularity is, is extraordinary. It's a combination of the brilliant aesthetic of the work, as well as the rising value of the work and its potential value over the next 5 / 10 years. 

Kyron Keogh

And your amazing immersive exhibition running currently with David Yarrow. I'm a big fan of his he's actually from the same village that I live in. In Kilmacolm in Scotland. I've actually hosted an event with him in in the Kelvin Art Gallery a couple of years ago. So love his work, and how how's the exhibition being received?

John Russo

Listen, the one thing you don't have to worry about when you're doing any form of exhibition with avid Yarrow is whether or not it's going to be well received. The popularity is extraordinary, because when you look at a David Yarrow work, it's not just looking at a picture of a setting that he's constructed. It's not just looking at an animal, it's not just looking at a landscape. Every time you walk past a David Yarrow image, you get something new from it - the work is so incredibly immersive and powerful. 

It sucks you in like quicksand, the longer you stare at it, and if you if you stood in front of the David Yarrow the longer that you stare at it, the more you realise, oh, my God, how complicated how rare was it to have captured this moment in time.

And the amount of work and energy behind the you know, that's, that's put in by the entire David Yarrow team andd of course, David himself to capture images like that is extraordinary. 

This, we've got some amazing footage on our website, we'll put it on social media as well. And we share with a lot of clients, the behind the scenes footage. I mean, David's out there, he's in the mark, you know, he's lying in the grass, he's jumping up at lions about the get him. That's what makes David's work, you know, you get you get plenty of people trying to imitate it.

There's plenty people out there that are, you know, a poor man's David Yarrow, but David's work truly is something that is so well created that you can't help not just appreciate it and value it. 

And so the current exhibition is incredibly well received David around there right now, he's been sending us images of some of the new work that he's been capturing in the States and in Mexico. And they're phenomenal, there's no doubt they're going to be popular. And I'm very much looking forward to later this year, having a solo exhibition with him in the gallery because a lot of those new works will be shown. 

And, you know, David is, you know, a long term partner of Maddox, and he's and he's a friend to Maddox. And we're really quite proud to represent someone of his calibre and of course, it helps David is the, you know, the quintessential storyteller. 

You know, I mean, I've been listening to David for hours talking about some of the stuff that he's achieved. 

Kyron Keogh

We did and I think everyone was wanting more to hear more from him because you're right, it's that dedication.

Let's turn our attentions to watches. I know you're a watch fan always have been what have you got your wrist today? 

John Russo

I didn't know you're gonna ask this, I didn't know you're gonna ask that. So I'm feeling like it's to a degree relatively dumb luck because I'm gonna admit something that I'm sure as a luxury watch professional that you are, that I know you are, that you cringe when people tell you that they wear their I-watch but I wear my I-watch quite a bit. It is a it is a functional tool for counting how many steps which is critical.

Kyron Keogh

That’s what the right hand you for. That's what the right hand is for.

John Russo

But it's critical. When you're locked down and you're sitting on your arse all day, you've got to be counting those steps. But when we get when we get to get all suited and booted, and put the everything back on, that's when the watch needs to come out the proper, the proper watch collection needs to come out. I don't be disrespectful to the I watch, it’s a tool and it’s a tool that I use but for me I’ve still got the very first watch I ever bought.

I don’t know the model and I’m going to need to apologise to the brand for not knowing the model but I love it. It’s nothing too fancy by the way, it was a TAG Heuer watch and I just loved the S-link band on it and it has beautiful navy blue face. I still have that watch.

Kyron Keogh

I think it was worn by the baddies in Die Hard. That’s what made TAG Heuer in that day.

John Russo

I’ve still got it. I love that watch. It was the first time, back in Australia now, I spent over $1,000 on a watch. I bought it from a great guy called Albert Ben Simon in Adelaide. I love that watc and I’ve still got that watch. I think it’s a beautiful watch. It hasn’t in any way, shape or form dated and I’ve always been a fan of TAG. There’s a hell of a journey between that and what I’m wearing today. I think you caught a glimpse of it when we were chatting it’s the Patek 5990. I was very lucky because I got it very close to the list price and now I think it’s worth almost double the list price. They’ve just released a version of it in rose gold with a blue face. I’m trying to get on the list for it because it’d like to get that as well. 

Kyron Keogh

That top end, Audemar Piguet, Patek, you know certain references are just so hot – the same as in the art world. They’re so hot that you just can’t get them and demand is out stripping supply. It’s causing this crazy market just now. We’ve got this pent-up demand after COVID, we’ve just had Watches and Wonders there when really fantastic watches came out. Audemars Piguet actually just released their new models for this year which is the most new models they’ve ever launched in the last five years, as far as I’m concerned in one year. The last few years have been taken up by the Code 1159 so the re-release of the 43ml Royal Oak Offshore, I mean there’s just some phenomenal watches out there and the watch world is in pretty good health. 

I think creativity is there, I think we’ve all had to sit back and look at things over the last 12 months and I’m seeing lots of creative work coming from the luxury watch world and I expect it’s the same in your world. Pandemics, these economic shocks do cause innovation. They make people innovate and think differently.

I love that watch, congratulations.

John Russo

Thank you, there’s been a lot of luck getting it.

Kyron Keogh

Listen John, it’s been a pleasure chatting today. I know you need to head off. I wish you all the best with reopening. We’ve got another week to go so I’m very jealous you’re there. I wish you all the best with your five-year celebrations to come. It’s been a pleasure talking to you I can’t wait to see you in Scotland again or next time I’m in London pop in and let’s not leave it another 15 years.

John Russo

I’m going to come up and visit if nothing else. My wife and I want to come back up and I’m going to bring my newborn son we had in lockdown who is now going to be 10 months this month, to Scotland because my wife’s side of the family is Scottish so he needs to see his roots a little bit. Say hi to your team, make sure you say hi to grant. I’m looking forward to doing this again soon in person.