LEFT: 1970s - The French Art Shop - Durham Lane, Auckland Central. CENTRE: 1990s - The French Art Shop - Anne Grierson and
Bev Head at 51 Ponsonby Road, Auckland. RIGHT: Early 2000s - The French Art Shop, from left: Mark Castle, Delicia Sampero, Jesse
Watson, Bernice Plant, Anne Grierson, Kalvin Collins, Bev Head and Catherine Noton at 33 Ponsonby Road, Auckland.
T
he French Art Shop was
established by the Castle family
in 1976 in a tiny Durham Lane
store in Auckland City Central. This
award winning business has stood
the test of time and evolved into a
destination art supply store for artists
of all levels.
First opened by John Castle, a
successful watercolour artist, the
shop sold almost exclusively French
products. Anne Grierson, John’s
wife ran the shop with an excellent
understanding of how to deal with
professional artists and their needs.
In 1989 the shop shifted to its first
Ponsonby location at 51 Ponsonby
Road, Auckland.
Then in 1991 John and Anne’s
son Mark joined the business after
a very successful career in the wine
industry. A few years later they moved
a few doors down and entered a
significantly successful period led by
Mark Castle, who brought technical
expertise and a huge enthusiasm
for the family business. During this
When travelling to Auckland to catch up with our major
advertisers, we decided to pop in to The French Art
Shop. There we met Kalvin Collins who took us around
the store, pointing out the various specialised products
and services they have on offer.FROM THEN TO NOW
2016 - Entrance to The French Art Shop -
16 Taylors Road, Morningside, Auckland.The French Art Shop- Mural by artist
Daniel Tippet.time a new shop opened for business
in Wellington, where it has gone from
strength to strength.
Mark’s goal to create an art shop that
is “a cross between a chemist shop and
a lolly shop for artists. A fun place to be”
remains sacrosanct.
In 2015 The French Art Shop moved
to a huge new space in Morningside,
Auckland where it carries the largest
range of art materials in New Zealand.
The moment you enter the colourful
16 Taylors Road store you can
understand why The French Art Shop has
won so many ‘Top Shop’ speciality store
awards. The amazing palette of colours
in the dazzling mural by artist Daniel
Tippet (pic top right) inspires the creative
instincts in an instant. A big coup was
the return of Kalvin Collins, back from
the UK, as shop manager and the head
of the development team for the new
store. A key member of the team who
won Top Shop awards in 2003 and
2005, Kalvin is an accomplished artist in
his own right.
At both the Auckland and Wellington
shops they specialise in bespoke,
professional canvas stretching of the
highest quality. Gavin Jones in Auckland
and Hamish Coleman in Wellington are
outstanding canvas stretchers and both
experienced artists in their own right.
They can provide you with a premium
canvas that is perfectly suited to your
needs.
The extremely knowledgeable staff
are all experienced artists in their ownright and give professional advice and
solutions to your artistic problems.
To quote the words of director Mark
Castle “We are here to advise our
customers about products rather than
selling for the sake of selling”.
Isn’t it time you paid a visit and
embraced your creativity?