Staff Profile: Aidan Meller
The Art Dealer and Gallery Director Aidan Meller, is a specialist in modern and contemporary art and comes from a collector’s background. Regarded as an expert in this field, he works closely with private collectors and is often consulted by those who wish to begin, or further develop, their collections with some form of cohesiveness.
With initial training at Sotheby’s, Meller went on to open two art galleries, one in Oxford and one in Witney. Meller says the artworld ‘is an amazing industry and one that few people have the chance to be a part of. In curating shows by living, contemporary artists, I am able to provide people with the opportunity to enjoy the diversity of artwork available and to experience the variety of messages expressed through this medium. Viewing art can really be a very emotive experience’.
Meller originally studied art history as part of his university degree. However, his real passion stems from his time spent travelling, when he came across a fascinating exhibition of work by Braque in Monaco. He experienced the profound power within the work, its messages and heightened emotions and the viewing had an important effect on his understanding of art. Following this experience, Meller befriended a group of artists who showed him how artists could see the world around them differently. This inspired him to set up a platform for other creative people to share their vision.
Meller’s ancestral connection to the arts runs deeper still, and its influence is clear. Meller’s parents were historians and ran a small family museum; his father, in particular, is an avid collector of 18th century work. Furthermore, his great-great grandparents worked on the Gopsall Estate, a Georgian Country House based in Leicestershire and were surrounded by many treasures until the estate was sold. The arts were a prevalent feature of the house and the setting provided inspiration for some of the greatest known artists such as composer George Frideric Handel. As T. R. Potter noted, ‘Every step you take at Gospall shows that the arts have been not only fostered but cultivated here’.
The Meller Merceux Gallery continues to develop its art program. Meller is excited to see the work being warmly embraced, as collectors from all over the world are drawn to view the latest shows.
