New owners, new era for Webb’s

Webb’s, New Zealand’s multi-department auction house for more than 40 years, has been purchased by Aucklanders Bruce Qin and Ewen Mackenzie-Bowie. 

“Webb’s has a remarkable tradition dating back to 1976 and we, as the new owners, respect and greatly value that heritage,” they say. 
“Our core purpose is to continue to offer specialist auctions of Fine Art, Decorative Arts, Jewellery, Fine & Rare Wine, Single Owner collections and Private Treaty. As we take Webb’s forward into this new era, we will also be introducing innovative new ways to attract a new generation of collectors.

“With the acquisition of Webb’s we are continuing to trade in our Parnell location for the interim, while looking for newer and more spacious premises to  hold a week of inaugural auctions for each of our specialist departments, commencing 12th June.”  

Ewen and Bruce (pictured) plan to build on the existing strengths of Webb’s as a long-standing market leader with strong client relationships nationwide encompassing public and private collectors. 

Innovative in operating a large education group, which includes the country’s leading private graduate business school and some of the New Zealand’s top language schools, Mackenzie-Bowie states: “Having been very successful in the extremely competitive private education sector for almost two decades, we will be bringing our best business practices across to the equally competitive world of auction houses.”

Plans for Webb’s include making online buying and selling easier by using new technology and investing in digitising Webb’s extensive 40-year archive to make it easily accessible to art-world scholars and collectors. 

“Part of our mission is to demystify buying art and luxury collectibles at auction, so we will be introducing a range of tools and purchase options to make the process more attractive for the next generation of collectors.

“We want to help people develop a long-term interest and investment in collecting, even with a modest budget,” says Qin. 

Ewen and Bruce are both avid collectors of contemporary New Zealand and international art and have bought many works through Webb’s.

“Webb’s was founded on a set of core values and principles which places our clients at the forefront of our business. We are custodians of our clients’ assets, no matter how big or small, to deliver the best possible result for them come auction day.”

Entries are now invited for a week of inaugural auctions for each of Webb’s specialist departments commencing 12th June. Visit www.webbs.co.nz or write to [email protected]