About Us

We operate from physical premises in central London, UK, and have done so since 2005, but most of our clients are in the US, and elsewhere too such as Germany, France, Singapore, India and Australia.

Our gallery is located in Hanover Street, just off Regent Street. We are walking distance from both Bond Street and Oxford Circus.

All our items can be viewed by appointment at our central London gallery, and on our website.

We sell to both private collectors and museums. Hundreds of our items are now in dozens of museums around the world, and many more are in important private collections.

We specialise in the material culture of the non-Western world – Asian, Islamic, Cross-cultural and Tribal antiques objects including items made in Asia and Africa for the European market.

Most of our carefully curated stock is sourced from old collections within the UK.

Each piece is carefully studied and researched, written up and featured on our website, with multiple images, video footage and referencing.

We produce a catalogue every two months to showcase our new stock, as it arrives. This is distributed by email to around 25,000 collectors, curators and academics worldwide.

Rarely do we accept items on consignment or sell on behalf of others. We own almost all our stock, meaning that we have been prepared to back each item with our own money.

We have an excellent reputation based on our meticulous research, experience and integrity. As mentioned, we were established in 2005 and operate from physical premises in the heart of central London, although most of our business is conducted via our website which remains one of the most extensive in the world.

The British Museum, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore are among our many, regular museum clients.

Our company is domiciled in the UK. All our stock is in the UK. All our bank accounts are in the UK, and we are fully subject to UK law.

 

Michael Backman

Michael Backman, the gallery founder, is an art historian and collector, economist and author.

He is the author of the monumental 300-page Malay Silver and Gold: Courtly Splendour from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei (River Books, 2024) – the first book on the silver and gold of the Malay peoples to have been published in over a hundred years.

He is also author of Rare Antique Asian & Colonial Decorative Arts (Paul Holberton Publishing, 2016).

Other books that relate to Asia’s economies and governance include Asian Eclipse, which was named by The Economist among its ‘Books of the Year’,  appeared on several bestseller lists,  was nominated by the  then Thai Prime Minister as one book ‘that all Thais should read,’ and was cited by the then Singapore Prime Minister in his annual National Day Address. Another, a policy & political biography of a senior Malaysian politician (2018)  was nominated for the 2019 Popular Readers’ Choice Awards.

Editions of his books have appeared in English, Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Indonesian.

He has also had regular newspaper columns in Australia and Singapore, and often gives public speeches and presentations, including having addressed the National Press Clubs or Foreign Correspondents’ Clubs of Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong & Thailand.

He is also the founder of the niche publishing marketing business World Art Now.

Earlier positions include Senior Advisor to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Senate, a Senior Analyst in the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and working in the private sector in Jakarta. He holds a First Class Honours Degree in Economics, and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Now based in London, he has also lived in Jakarta, Paris, Canberra, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Eddie Chin

Eddie Chin is a fully qualified chartered accountant and holds a Masters degree of Business Administration (MBA). Originally from Malaysia, he speaks fluent Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Malay, Indonesian, French and English. He has spent a significant number of working years in the time-sharing property industry as well as the hotel management sector. Just before joining the Gallery, he worked with the London office of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. His varied career proves valuable in the Gallery for his dealing with complex export/import issues, and with international clients from varied  backgrounds. He has been with the Gallery for more than a decade, and he looks after tax, export and accounting issues. He is an ardent collector of African tribal art himself, and so also helps with shaping the Tribal section of the Gallery.

Sarah Corbett

Sarah Corbett is an art consultant, renowned jewellery historian, and specialist in the material culture of adornment. With a particular focus on the Amazigh people of North Africa and the Mahgreb, Sarah’s expertise delves into the symbolism and significance of adornment within these communities. Her passion for understanding the intricacies of symbolism has broadened her knowledge to encompass adornment practices from many countries and cultures.

As the editor of Ethnic Jewels Magazine, Sarah shares knowledge and insights into the world of ethnic jewellery and adornment. Additionally, she has founded several online communities dedicated to exploring various facets of adornment, fostering discussion, and sharing expertise among enthusiasts and scholars alike.

Sarah’s dedication to education and cultural exchange is evident through her leadership of highly-regarded educational jewel tours to Morocco. These immersive experiences offer participants a unique opportunity to explore the rich tapestry of Moroccan jewellery traditions firsthand.

In her role as a consultant at Michael Backman Ltd, Sarah specializes in social media development and marketing, leveraging her expertise to enhance the visibility and engagement of the company within the art and adornment sector.

With her multifaceted expertise, Sarah Corbett continues to make contributions to the understanding and appreciation of adornment as a form of cultural expression and identity worldwide.

Sarah has worked with the gallery for 6 years.

Michael Backman lecturing at the School of Oriental & African Studies, University College London, on the role of dealers.

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    Books by Michael Backman