This article is part of Jozan Magazine’s ongoing series of personal portraits from the oriental rug world, highlighting the experiences and perspectives of dealers, researchers, and experts.
Aaron Nejad opened his antique rug business in London in 1994, entering a market he describes as a golden era.
Since then he has built a reputation for decorative and country house carpets, launched the London Antique Rug and Textile Art Fair, and broadened his activity into tapestries and textiles.
His gallery Aaron Nejad Antique Carpets is in 4 Church Street, London NW8.
I stumbled into the rug and textile world. A sabbatical from academic life at the London School of Economics turned into a new career.
After a brief period working with new carpets, I opened my own antique rug business in 1994. Working in London in the 1990s was exciting. It was a thriving marketplace. There were many galleries and dealers, goods were relatively plentiful. London was an international centre for the rug world. There were many regular auctions, and the annual Hali Fair in London was an important focal point. This was the market I entered. There were lots of goods and clients, including lots of international buyers. Looking back now, it feels like a golden era.
My initial interest was in south Persian tribal rugs. My late father had been a collector and taught me about them, and importantly how to clean them. He had an exceptional Khamseh ‘Lion’ rug which I remember until today. But I soon realised that I could not make a living dealing exclusively with tribal rugs, and I had to broaden my horizons. And this is what I did. I began to collect pieces from all areas of rug and textile weaving on my regular buying trips around the UK and Europe, and I rapidly developed a reputation for handling decorative and country house carpets which became the mainstay of my business.
As a full-time dealer, I never lost my academic curiosity. Over the years I studied and wrote about many groups of rugs and worked on many related projects. Three projects stand out of which I am most proud. First, I collaborated with the late Peter Willborg on his study of Bakhtiar rugs which resulted in his seminal work on Bakhtiar weaving. Second, I had always been intrigued by an enigmatic group of flatweaves referred to as ‘Bessarabian’ kilims from Eastern Europe. When the Soviet Union collapsed, I took the opportunity to travel to Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova to research the true origins of these kilims, which has resulted in new knowledge. Third, in 2011 I launched the London Antique Rug and Textile Art Fair (LARTA) which has become a beacon in the UK rug and textile scene, and an annual fixture in the London arts calendar.
As demand for antique rugs changed, and modern carpet production challenged the decorative antique carpet market, I began to develop my interest in tapestries and textiles which has become an important part of my activity. Also, I eventually morphed from a ‘picker’ travelling continuously to find things, to a ‘shopkeeper’ with a gallery, interacting with designers, collectors and private clients while working with a core of dealers. And this is where I am today. My gallery in central London is an oasis of colour and design. I try to offer things which might appeal to a broad audience, but ultimately, I pick items which are special and meaningful to me.
Today, the rug and textile market is increasingly dominated by online activity. It seems like specialist bricks and mortar galleries are becoming obsolete. There are so many online shops, trading portals, online auctions and an abundance of images and articles to study. As evident as this trend is, I believe that sooner or later the wheel will turn. Great rugs and textiles have a soul which can only be engaged with through direct contact. There is only so much that can be gleaned from digital images. Moreover, connoisseurship can only be achieved by handling and studying things up close, comparing similar things up close, and discussing with like-minded people and experts. Sooner or later this need will become compellingly evident. Furthermore, I feel that an increasingly digitalised world will engender a greater emotional need for connection with the material culture of the past, with arts and crafts based on traditional skills and with the ideas that shaped those objects. Artificial intelligence will only speed up this process by enabling future collectors to spend more time reading, visiting museums and galleries, interacting with dealers and acquiring connoisseurship. For these reasons I believe the rug and textile world has a bright future.
Interview conducted by Ivan Soenderholm for Jozan Magazine. Text edited with permission from Aaron Nejad.
Link: Aaron Nejad Antique Carpets, 4 Church Street, London NW8 8ED