60th Birthday Party Speech - Brian Sanders

"Welcome everyone on this 60th Anniversary Celebration of the foundation of Artist Partners. Christine has asked me to say a few words about the early days.

It is really sad that that none of the original founders have survived to be here tonight as they all loved a party. We do though have with us Tommy Candler daughter of Donovan Candler whose idea resulted in AP and several of the lovely girls that were employed at the beginning -  all of the girls employed were  lovely - they are: Deidre, Angela and Marie. Deidre and Angela were on the sales staff and Marie was PA to Don Candler the first Chairman. Ah! yes, I remember it well.

The founders in 1951 were: Donovan Candler, Arthur Rix, John Barker, Betty Luton White and Reginald Mount who was the artist director and who, in his wartime work at the Ministry of Information is credited with coming up with the slogan "Keep Calm and Carry on." They began from a couple of rooms in Lower John Street Soho, representing twenty artists of the highest calibre, including such as: André François, Tom Eckersley, Aubrey Rix, Ken Wynn, Norman Weaver and photographer Zoltan Glass.

By the time of my arrival on the scene two and a half years later, the company had expanded to occupy three floors of a lovely building in Dover Street Mayfair, and represented some sixty artists. I'd worked briefly in an advertising agency before realizing that the sort of work I wanted to do came from just a couple of artists agents, one of which was Artist Partners and - because of this book  "AP PRESENTS" headed there. I later learned that most of the company's  profits of the first year had been ploughed into it's production. The following year's  profits were used to give a fabulous party at Shaftesbury House in Park Lane. Style was all important to Don and his team.

My portfolio was of course  totally inadequate to gain representation. Don offered me a job as a 'gofer'. That foot in the door, gave me access to some of the major talents of the graphics industry of the late fifties. Most were kind and very free with advice and help. They also provided a learning curve for life. One brilliant artist had often be sobered up with lots of coffee in order complete the drawing I'd been sent to collect, but he did always deliver.

Sadly, a year later, there came a forced break in my AP connection - National Service. But training over I left in style for service overseas; Don, ex Royal Navy and Barry Driscoll - natural history artist and late of the Indian Army, took me in uniform to lunch at the Le Petit Club Français in St James. The only advice I remember being given was: " DO NOT AVOID LOOSE WOMEN''

Returning to AP after two and a half years of bringing down the British Empire; THIS BOOK "AP2" designed by Pat Tilley was in production - He is unfortunately unable to be with us tonight, but Bruno his son, who continues to have a close association   with AP is. It is a great regret to me not to be included in either of these editions, as both are very much part of the history of British graphics.

AP Photographer Adrian Flowers - employed me as one of his assistants whilst I set about getting a portfolio together. I'm eternally grateful to him as he later set me up with a studio within his Chelsea Studio.   Another assistant at the time was Duffy who went on to become a Vogue photographer -  Norman Parkinson referred to him, David Bailey  and Terry Donovan as the "Terrible Trio''. Sadly Duffy is no longer with us, but I'm pleased that his son Chris is. One day the story of Duffy's early exploits should be written down. I still dine out on some of them, such as the day that Adrian looked into the eyepiece of the Rollei and saw a dog end. Or the week he decided to gradually fade out the numerals on Don Candlers office clock.  Adrian had the knack of choosing assistants who went on to be successful in their own right. Also here tonight is artist / writer / editor Adrian Bailey and Angela Dalmau who was the super studio manager. Adrian was also a founder member of our first Association of Illustrators.

Being taken onto the books by AP in 1960 was similar to being in a British version of Madmen - only for real. Every Friday evening from six o clock there was an open house drinks party for artists, staff and clients at the 44a Dover Street address and events usually carried on afterwards at the Studio Club, The Establishment, or the AP house restaurant The Trattoria Terazza in Soho. Sadly as the heady sixties drew to an end, so did the lease on the Dover Street premises. Even elegant Mayfair wasn't safe from the developers. The Geogian building was torn down and replaced by a tasteless hotel.

AP returned to its Soho roots. The company moved into Ham Yard Great Windmill Street, premises that made up for Mayfair elegance with local colour. We once had a Swedish visiting client ring from a phone box in Shaftesbury Avenue to ask if it was safe to enter Ham Yard. Punters were sometimes sent up in the lift to our reception by one of Soho's '18 lovely girls' who had collected an advance fee..! But we thrived and of course the French Pub was only two blocks away. Sadly though, in the late sixties Don Candler died. The management reins were taken up by Betty White and John Barker.  Shortly afterwards Roger Coleman and I took studio space in the building. This created a new dynamic as other artists followed suit.  AP became an atelier as well as an Artist's agency, with visiting artists from all over the world working in the building. It was also a place where young artists beginning their careers could have studio space in central London at a reasonable rent. One of these was Alan Lee who as creative director of the Lord of the Rings films is currently designing for the Hobbit. sharing a studio with Alan was a joy, not just because of his superb draughtsmanship, but also for his wicked sense of humour.

Select annecdotes:  We also had Brian Froud who currently has an exhibition on at the New York Society of Illustrators. Brian turned his small studio into a mixture of wonderland and Gormanghast, first crenilating the top of his partition then adding daily to it; fairies, goblins, plant life, objects trouve until you could barely get into the room.

When Colmer Artists collapsed, the late Virgil Pomfret Joined AP, bringing with him many of its artists including Tom Adams who I'm glad is able to be with us tonight. The company expanded into a powerhouse of talent. At about this time, that is the early 70s, we were joined by a bright and lovely young receptionist who not only stayed with us, but has gone on to become Chairman and owner, taking on herself responsibility for the Artist Partners family, young and old. She has earned not only our respect, but our love. Friends: the still lovely CHRISTINE."