Category: News

Nothing beats experience and practising artist John Webb has perfected his craft over the years. Winner of the ‘Trustee’s Watercolour Prize ‘at the 2014 Wynne, John continues to delight with his colourful and sensitive collages and drawings. Corporate Art Rentals are delighted to welcome John and we look forward to his bold & beautiful works helping to transform our clients’ workspaces. To view John’s works, please click here.

Our client, a professional trustee firm with extensive experience across a diverse range of Australian retail and wholesale investment funds and other capital structures, recently moved to a new and tastefully renovated office in Melbourne’s Collins Street. The company’s owner wanted to enhance the firm’s workspace with fine art and also help support practising Australian artists. Corporate Art Rentals helped place ten original Australian artworks that not only complement the company’s already impressive workspace, but also provide additional income for the artists. This helps our artists keep doing what they do best – making truly magnificent works for us all to enjoy.

A Melbourne based medical specialist has outfitted his consulting suites with five beautiful paintings by Sydney based artist, Andrew Bennett. Andrew’s favoured medium is acrylic on canvas due to its versatility and quicker drying time. Andrew works in the style derived from the old masters but with a contemporary understanding of modern materials and procedures. Andrew says that throughout the painting application he strives to keep a sense of life in his paintings. His ability to achieve this goal is abundantly clear in the wonderful works on display both in this installation and his artworks on the Corporate Art Rentals artist’s page here. For more information on Andrew’s works, please visit his website here.

A new office for a family law firm in Melbourne has been enhanced by renting paintings of two of Corporate Art Rentals artists, Ian Wells and Sophie Perez.
The firm has hung Ian’s calming works in their office space. Ian’s artistic practice owes as much to his craftsmanship and woodworking skills as his painting skills. Ian has a strong interest in old hand tools which he carefully collects and lovingly restores. Ian uses these tools to create the panels on which he paints and crafts the frames that finish them off using his carefully collected and lovingly restored tools.
Sophie’s painting, ‘Dandenong Ranges’ is beautifully hung in the firm’s reception area. Sophie’s works display landscapes’ endless possibilities through colour and texture. Seeking new compositions of shapes and light within the landscapes. Everyday environments inform her work, and living in various locations has directly inspired her practise, looking for ways to portray what is around.
Both the firm’s clients & staff now get to enjoy and benefit from viewing these original Australian artworks.

There is a beautiful Fiona Halse painting now hanging at Amaru in Malvern. The complex and textured finish of Fiona’s painting ‘Burn’ complements the warm and intimate atmosphere of this amazing restaurant. It sits alongside two other fine works by the artist Marise Maas and gives diners an opportunity to experience wonderful original Australian artworks whilst enjoying their meal.

We are delighted to advise that artworks by artists Fiona Halse and Jason Haufe are now available for rent to Corporate Art Rental clients. Both Fiona and Jason are practising artists based in Melbourne and their paintings would look absolutely beautiful in corporate foyers or offices.

JASON HAUFE
Since the 1990s, Jason has explored various spatial and pictorial ideas within the limited means of geometric abstraction. He combines digital, machine, and handmade processes in the production of collages. Collage is the medium by which the artist explores his concern with drawing. The pieces of paper Haufe uses for collage are photocopies or blank photocopy paper. The photocopies are from source material such as patterns from the inside of envelopes or previous collages, which are often manipulated digitally on a computer and then printed and photocopied. Every time a work is produced, it adds to the sum of material that can be fed back into the process.

FIONA HALSE
Fiona’s work seeks to convey a personal space that is metaphorically associated with the human figure. Form is found through connecting to a deep resonant feeling, reflecting a personalised, generalised space. Whilst her work is lyrical and utilises Tachist approaches, it is formal and has an architectonic basis and explores drawing principles. Pictorial and illusionist devices are utilised to create depth, but ambiguity and privacy are also explored by flattening shapes and focusing on the picture plane.

A fast growing, full service digital agency recently contacted Corporate Art Rentals in order to bring their offices up to a level that reflected their professionalism and competency. As their client base is becoming larger and more sophisticated, they wanted their customer meeting area to reinforce their company’s commitment to innovation and long term support of its customers. In addition to helping with the selection of artwork, our art consultant was able to advise the client with the selection and placement of furniture to achieve their goal. After the project was finished, we were delighted to receive a text from our customer telling us that he already felt more confident and empowered to receive new clients to his facility.

Keeping an office or entry foyer fresh and interesting for clients and staff doesn’t have to be an expensive exercise. One way to achieve this at minimal cost is to use large original artworks to create a new and interesting environment. Corporate Art Rentals clients can change over their artwork on the anniversary of their rental agreement. One client in St Kilda Rd recently changed over their artwork to three beautiful Krista Stewart paintings creating a whole new feel and experience for their stakeholders. The only additional cost was the small charge for installation of the new works.

A new Chartered Accountancy firm in Lonsdale street were opening their offices and wanted original Australian artworks installed in under a week before their grand opening. Dagmar saw the client on Thursday and the three artworks by Krista Stewart, Agneta Ekholm and Karen Standke were all hung by the following Tuesday!

These three outstanding paintings have just been rented by a medical professional for his new office in Waverley, Melbourne. These large paintings by the artist, Steve Warburton have contributed to the working space being a warm and interesting work environment. Steve’s inspiration for the works follows.
Titles: Mad World, :-(, $. These works are born from a series produced between 2005-2007- the mainstay being oversized machinery parts. My desire to give these large machines a human aspect led me to replace them with monumental heads and figurative sculptural elements. I felt this would make it easier to express emotion and portray the narrative.
As parts of society are becoming increasingly progressive, the position of monuments have come into question. Their initial purpose was to be a symbol of winners. Recently, they have been
removed, toppled and even partially destroyed by demonstrators who have opposing opinions to what they stand for.
Over time, society’s need for monuments providing a link to a battle, war or political belief may alter, thus bringing the monument’s position into question.
These 3 works were part of a series of works in a show in May 2019. The theme of the show being a comment on the concept of ‘Fake News/Alternative Facts’, which has been a talking point in
both the mainstream news and social media of late. It is used by certain elements of the population who don’t agree with comments said about them or disagree with their direction.
In these paintings, the signs ( 🙁 $ ) represent the shock and simplicity of the hashtag trend. The use of the white lines in these works is isolationist, a device to separate certain objects or people from reality – an alternative fact.

Corporate Art Rentals art consultant Dagmar Cyrulla helped install new paintings and rearrange existing works at one of Melbourne’s premier Law firms. The new layout has created a fresh look for both associates and clients. Dagmar says the whole process was lots of fun, helped by great artwork and a wonderful team of people.

Four of Merryn Trevethan’s beautiful paintings have been reproduced as archival prints. These prints are have been so beautifully recreated and framed that they are hard to differentiate from the original paintings. They were installed today by Ellis Art Installations in a new suite of offices at 120 Collins St.

A new luxury apartment development in South Yarra embodies the pinnacle of architectural achievement. Corporate Art Rentals are delighted to supply original Australian artworks to this magnificent development. Paintings by artists Krista Stewart and Agneta Ekholm are on display in the residences’ sumptuous dining area.

Corporate Art Rentals recently installed a 4 metre, mesmerising artwork in the foyer of 567 Collins street. The painting titled Dislocation, is by Melbourne based, international artist John Aslanidis. John’s work visually expresses sound waves. He has recently returned from Tokyo after installing a massive 84 square metre work at LONGCHAMP, Japan’s first flagship store which opened in September 2018. John has also collaborated with Queen legend Brian May to create an installation comprising of John’s paintings and Brian’s musical responses to the painting. More information about John’s work can be accessed here

Essendon Fields comprises Essendon Fields Airport and 3 main Circles of Excellence; an Auto Centro, DFO and Homemaker, and EF Central. Currently, more than 6,000 people across a range of industries are employed at Essendon Fields. The EF Central business district features a Hyatt hotel and 200 active businesses including Linfox, Armaguard, Australia Post, The Good Guys and VicRoads. Corporate Art Rentals were recently engaged to hang artworks in one of Essendon Field Central office complexes. The brief was to transform a long empty corridor with bright and interesting Australian artworks. The client chose 5 of Agneta Ekholm’s mesmerising paintings to brighten and make the corridor a far more interesting and engaging entrance for the businesses located in the complex.

Corporate Art Rentals are delighted to offer a large 2 m wide Bruce Earles work titled ‘Rail Riders’ for rental to our customers. Bruce’s vibrant and colourful works explore the balance between work & leisure, or between our urban and natural environments. Each painting contains many layers of paint (washes) to create the depth that Bruce wants to convey and then each drawing is attended to individually to give the entire painting a sense of comprehension and balance. Bruce’s works are very popular with Corporate Art Rental’s clients as they inevitably brighten up any workspace and create a discussion point for staff and clients.

Amaru is a small and intimate dining room in Armadale offering a contemporary Australian tasting menu. AMARU have recently hung two beautiful paintings by Corporate Art Rentals artist Marise Maas in their dining room. Diners now get to enjoy not only Amaru’s fine cuisine, but also Marise’s beautiful works. By renting artwork through Corporate Art rentals, Amaru can update their artwork every year and help reflect their vision for the ultimate dining experience.

Kennedys Lawyers contacted Corporate Art Rentals for the installation of artwork at their William Street offices in Melbourne. The staff in the Melbourne office chose works from Australian based artists Karen Standke and Geoff Harrison to display in their reception, boardroom and meeting areas. The selected artworks are paintings of Northern Territory and Tasmanian landscapes. The works enhance an already attractive and professional looking office and provide an interesting visual backdrop for Kennedy’s staff and clients.

A customer recently rented two of Nichola Malpas’ whimsical works. One was for her office and the other for her home. In both environments, Nichola’s work added a touch of colour and helped create a peaceful environment for work and play.

Melbourne firm, IDP Lawyers, are supporting Australian artists by installing artwork by artists Karen Standke and Dena Ashbolt in their new Melbourne office. The paintings and drawings add a finishing touch to IDP’s already impressive facility located in William St. Corporate Art Rentals’ trusted supplier, Ellis Art Installation were engaged to install a tracking system so that the artwork can easily be swapped over to new works at a future date. This allows IDP Lawyers to update the look and feel of their office periodically, at a minimal cost.

Standke “Landscape II”. Oil on linen. 144 (L) x 114 (H) cm

Ashbolt “wandering influence”. Work on paper framed. 73 (L) x 100 (H) cm

Corporate Art Rentals recently installed this bright and colourful painting in the general office area at Rollease Acmeda’s impressive facility in Brunswick Melbourne. The new artwork has really brightened up the workspace and is very popular with the office staff.

Congratulations to Corporate Art Rentals artist, Gabrielle Jones on having her painting described as one of four “exceptional” paintings by the prestigious NYC/American publication, ‘Friend of the Artist’.

Only four paintings were selected as exceptional by the magazine’s staff. The magazine’s management stated, “We at FOA are also excited to share the artists we selected to include in the upcoming Fall 2017 Publication! Each member of our staff chose an artist we felt was exceptional to us!”

Gabrielle’s paintings are recognisable for their beautiful use of colour gestural mark-making and sense of movement and evidence her embrace of the notion of chance in both her subject matter and her painting technique. Charles Blackman once described Gabrielle’s work as “…full of shining light, radiant… [she] lets the inner things – her soul – come into her paintings [and] evokes feelings from the viewer.”

Gabrielle’s colourful paintings are ideal for office art and will brighten and enhance any corporate workspace. You can view Gabrielle’s paintings for rental here

Corporate Art Rentals recently completed a project with an established financial company with its offices at La Trobe St, Melbourne. The new artworks were required to complement the renovations that had been recently completed in the offices. The company was interested in enhancing their décor with original artwork for the office, which would also be a conversation starter with clients and customers who frequently visit the office.

Dagmar Cyrulla at Corporate Art Rentals consulted with the company to provide a total of 15 artworks for the offices, comprising work by artists John Aslanidis and Maryanne Coutts. The artworks for offices were finalised following extensive consultation with the company’s interior designer. The artworks were installed by Ellis Art Installations, our key supplier.

When clients are interested in installing office wall art, they usually have an idea of the kind of art they visualise seeing hung up in their offices. They may not necessarily have an eye for art and be familiar with different artwork styles, but a preference in colours and broader themes is a good starting point to identify the best artwork for offices. In the case of this project, the client was conscious of choosing paintings for office that were aligned with their spiritual and aesthetic preferences, which helped narrow the artwork options. Other factors borne in mind were the appropriate artwork sizes for the offices, since the chosen artwork for office space must be in proportion to it.

The client was keen to finalise artworks that were appealing and a conversation starter, while also being consistent with their spiritual and aesthetic preferences. Bearing these requirements in mind, Dagmar selected ‘Sonic Network No. 1’, a 3 metre artwork by Aslanidis as the statement piece for this project, and smaller works by both Aslanidis and Coutts for other office areas. It was great to see the company’s staff interact with the paintings as they were being hung. The final result was a great finishing touch to a world class interior design fitout.

Artwork for offices is usually the last thing left on the renovation agenda. Even then, many business managers think of hanging prints, rather than original art by Australian artists. But, what is often not understood, is that original artwork makes a difference to the working environment and positively influences a company’s staff. 

Original art for office has a life energy that a print doesn’t offer. It is the result of an artist’s passion and imagination, with each stroke bringing an idea to life. At Corporate Art Rentals, we have often seen people really respond to office wall art. Whenever we hang new works, we are always delighted to see how staff and customers respond and engage with the works. This is especially so for bright & colourful works, such as Peter Griffen’s abstract paintings. These types of works lift not only the office space, but also the spirits of office staff, making their work environment more attractive and conducive towards creative thinking.

Art is also known is inspire and encourage creativity among the workforce. The presence of original art in the workspace helps employees overcome a mental block, since they’re able to look away from their work into something that inspires innovation. While these ideas may be abstract at first, they can be developed further into something that’s more substantial.

Office art is also a good conversation starter, making it a valuable addition to offices that are frequently visited by clients. Original artworks can often also be used to represent the business you’re in, since they would make a client feel comfortable and relaxed, while also making an emotional connection with them in the process. Office wall art can inadvertently help break the ice when meeting clients for the first time, setting the stage for a meeting that’s less intimidating. 

One of the bigger advantages of using original artwork for offices is that they can also double up as a good branding exercise. Commissioning an artwork allows you to suggest brand colours or discuss ways in which the art can effectively represent the brand. Artwork would be a subtler approach to branding without appearing too promotional, since it’s the manifestation of an idea and not just a mere marketing tactic.

Contact Corporate Art Rentals today for office art that will transform your workspace.

Corporate Art Rentals installed three of Agneta Ekholm’s large artworks in the foyer of the Arcadia residential complex earlier this year. Arcadia is a beautiful building, designed by renowned architects Fender Katsalidis and located in Parkville directly opposite the Royal Park. The building’s residential association, lead by Gloria and her team, wanted to give the building’s residents an opportunity to meet the artist and better understand the design philosophy and technical process behind her paintings. Consequently they organised a fantastic evening of food and wine to celebrate the new work and to meet Agneta. We were all surprised at the interest shown and the large turn out of residents . We discussed art and had great conversations about Agneta’s works and how paintings can enhance foyers, offices and corporate work spaces.

Corporate Art Rentals recently consulted to the Downer Group to provide office art for the boardroom in their Melbourne office. The project had to be completed within a week, since a board meeting was scheduled to take place immediately after the installation. To ensure the artwork could be installed in time, Corporate Art Rentals worked closely with the Australian artist John Aslanidis, who is known for his abstract style of paintings that define a space between sound and vision, and our art installation
specialist, Ellis Art Installations. 

We generally recommend a selection of artwork for our clients’ offices, so that they have a variety of works to choose from when designing their office. At all times we keep in mind their requirements and the aesthetics that make up their interiors. Clients select the artwork that they want to rent and we help them to install it correctly. In this instance, management at the Downer Group had already selected an artist and the artwork that they wanted to hang in their workspace.

As the pictures below indicate, they made an excellent choice using office wall art that clearly complements their boardroom’s existing design. The artwork’s warm tones are highlighted through the use of timber in the boardroom. The end result is a space that encourages discussion and decision making and promotes productivity and creativity amongst their workforce.

By renting John Aslanidis’ artwork, the Downer Group is supporting and encouraging the work of local Melbourne artists and showcasing it in one of the most important spaces in their Melbourne office.

Recently, Corporate Art Rentals hung two very large artworks in the foyer of 580 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne. The building’s owners wanted to enhance the look of their already impressive foyer, so they engaged Corporate Art Rentals to propose artworks for lease. Our art consultant, Dagmar Cyrulla, gave the client several options and they decided to hire paintings by the Melbourne and New York based artist, John Aslanidis. John’s paintings demand attention and create quite a talking point. “For over twenty years artist John Aslanidis has defined a space between sound and vision, through seeking to create ‘paintings you can hear and sound you can see’. His paintings take the form of numerous interlocking and exponentially expanding concentric circles that are painstakingly mapped and masked out, and evolve from an intersection between music and painting. (Excerpt from ‘Sound Spheres’ by Marguerite Brown, for Art Monthly Australia).”

We utilised the skills of art installation expert, Tom Ellis from Ellis Art Installation, to hang these large artworks. Hanging paintings may look easy, but we can assure you there is a lot in it and if you don’t know what you are doing, not only do you run the danger of damaging expensive artworks, you can also damage a client’s walls as well as hang the works out of alignment. We worked with Tom and was impressed by his care and expertise in getting John’s paintings perfectly aligned at the right height and also securely fastened to the wall. Tom also uses ‘lockable’ fixtures to ensure that the artwork cannot be removed by the wrong person.

The end result looks magnificent and is another example of a business being transformed by hiring paintings from Corporate Art Rentals.

Recently, we updated the artwork at the VACC in Melbourne to coincide with the appointment of a new VACC Director. Every two years, the VACC appoints a new Director who chooses art work for their Head Office’s entry foyer at St Kilda Rd. This time the work is from Corporate Art Rentals’ artist Steve Warburton. Steve works and exhibits in Melbourne and completed his Fine Arts degree at Monash University. He has exhibited widely, in group and solo exhibitions and his paintings and drawings are held in collections Australia-wide and internationally. Steve’s works are arresting, to say the least. As we hung the works, it was interesting to observe how people reacted as they passed through the VACC foyer. Almost everybody stopped and pondered the works. The common consensus was that people loved the transformation to the entry foyer and that Steve’s works were powerful, arresting and emotional. We are delighted by the outcome and very proud to be able to exhibit Steve’s work at the VACC.

Corporate Art Rental’s newest artist, Geoff Harrison, completed his Bachelor Of Arts (Fine Art), at RMIT in Melbourne. He also completed the prestigious Drawing Marathon, run by Graham Nickson at the Adelaide School of Art. Geoff also partook in an Associated Diploma in Art and Design, as well as gaining his Associate Diploma in Cartography at RMIT. Painting for Geoff is a journey of self-discovery and he is constantly pushing himself to the limits of his ability to achieve this. He often feels the aim of his paintings is to punch holes in the gallery walls and let the daylight in, or nightlight depending on the work. Geoff’s works are atmospheric, peaceful and draw the viewer into their space. They will enhance and brighten any office area or foyer, transforming it into a professional and energised space for both staff and clients. Geoff’s paintings can be rented for as little as $66.00 per month.

Check out Geoff’s work below.

We are pleased to welcome Hele Ellis to Corporate Art Rentals. Hele was born in 1963 in West Germany (Kiel) and has lived and worked in Australia since 1995. She graduated from the college of Fine Arts and Art Therapy, Ottersberg, Germany, in 1992 with Honours.

Hele had her first solo exhibition in 1986 in Hamburg, Germany, and in 1996 her first solo show in Australia, Byron Bay. Since then she exhibited numerous times internationally, her works are collected worldwide and has received awards since 1998.

After a year abroad in 2009 (USA), Hele still calls Byron Bay home and received a beautiful response to her retrospective at the Lismore Regional Art Gallery (2009, Australian works) and at NRCG Ballina (2010). Since, Hele had two solo exhibitions in Melbourne (Artman Gallery).

You can view Hele’s work here.

Corporate Art Rentals recently installed artwork by Karen Standke, Martin King & Peter Griffen at Melbourne Law Courts. The look and feel of the court work spaces was enhanced by these excellent works of art. Corporate Art Rentals worked closely with the Law Courts’ staff to ensure the outcome was consistent with the Courts’ stated goals and values.

580 St Kilda Rd welcomed Swedish artist Agneta Ekholm to the hanging of her large paintings in the building entrance foyer. Agneta’s clean lined, elegant works complement the foyer’s interior finishes and make for a stunning entrance. Corporate Art Rentals invited Agneta to attend the installation of her artwork and our client was delighted to meet the artist and took many photos for their corporate blog and newsletter.