Encounter With An Art Lawyer

We regularly interview people connected to the Arts and look at their special connection to London.

Pierre Valentin, a Belgian native, is a lawyer with a passion for art. He has lived in London for 20 years.  Pierre's clients are some of the world's major art collectors, best known commercial art galleries and national museums. From his home in Little Venice, he has kindly agreed to answer to our questions:

What brought you to London?

I came to London to study law.  I had planned to stay for one year.  I am still here twenty years on.

What is the last exhibition or show that inspired you and why?

I thought that the "Canaletto and his rivals" exhibition at the National Gallery was wonderful.  Venice is my favorite city (after London).  The exhibition was like a voyage in time.  I found it very uplifting.

If you had to leave London, what would you miss the most?

I like London's diversity.  I would miss being surrounded by people from all over the world, coming together in this gigantic mess of a city.  I find its architecture, its gardens, its size and the anonymity it affords, very inspiring.

Could you recommend one of your favourite place (shop, restaurant , venue...) in London?

I think that walking in Lincoln's Inn and in the Inner Temple is like going back in time.  The gardens are beautiful, especially in the Spring, and the Temple Church has amazing energy (www.templechurch.com).  I also love the hidden-away church of St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield (www.greatstbarts.com).  And Sir John Soane's Museum in Lincoln's Inn Field (www.soane.org).