Even a seemingly modest door can reveal a collector’s personal paradise within. Unifying Eye brings together a considered selection from the remarkable personal collection of Michael Evans, also known by his Buddhist name Dayabandhu. The extensive collection, gathered over the last 30 or so years, extended to some 1200 objects that he cherished and lived with in his South London apartment.
Even a seemingly modest door can reveal a collector’s personal paradise within. Unifying Eye brings together a considered selection from the remarkable personal collection of Michael Evans, also known by his Buddhist name Dayabandhu. The extensive collection, gathered over the last 30 or so years, extended to some 1200 objects that he cherished and lived with in his South London apartment. Nearing 200 pieces, the ceramics featured in the sale have been carefully selected by Maak to reflect Dayabandhu’s unifying eye, which brought a sense of calm cohesion to such an extensive collection as a whole.
Works in the sale include international masters of studio ceramics, bought at auction and from the most renowned ceramics galleries in the UK. Ceramic artists like Ewen Henderson, Gillian Lowndes, Gordon Baldwin, John Maltby and Claudi Casanovas are well represented. In parallel, there are many artists represented who have more recently emerged as leading lights in the field, discovered and supported by the collector at the very start of their career, such as Edmund de Waal, Akiko Hirai, Annie Turner and Sarah Flynn.
Few live with their collection with such intensity. At Dyabandhu’s South London home, every surface of every room was filled with pots. The eye didn’t know where to rest, every moment offering the potential to discover a new hidden treasure. “Considering the vastness of the collection, it is astonishing how harmonious his environment was. Nothing jarred, nothing shouted, there was a satisfying sense of rhythm and repetition of colours, textures and forms where the works conversed with each other respectfully. Brought together through Dyabandhu’s clear sense of inner purpose, the collection was united through his eye to become a harmonious entity,” Marijke Varrall-Jones, Founder and Director, Maak
The auction will take place from 11-14 May 2020 with bidding closing from 10am on Thursday 14 May. The view the auction online please click E or to download a PDF of the catalogue, please click here