Galerie du Cygne - Susannah de Sherburne

Born in the early 1960's into an established family of London property surveyors/artists and fashion hat designers, as an only child Susannah was from a young age surrounded by and involved with property design, refurbishment and creative ideas.

Her family background has provided a constant source of artistic inspiration. Her maternal Great Aunt was a hat designer in Bond Street for 40 years and designed for Lady Churchill amongst others. Her style and grace was a wonderful inspiration, during the first 20 years of Susannah's life. Her maternal Grandmother and Aunt were both well established artists and from an early age Susannah stayed with them and observed them in their studios as they alternated between oils, pottery and model design. Susannah's passion for old properties was derived from her paternal Grandmother who was one the first lady surveyors in the 1920's and ran her own building company. Susannah's father followed in his mother's footsteps.

Although Susannah chose to read law and established a career as a lawyer in the City of London as a commercial litigation partner, and latterly as a family lawyer her main interest and passion has always been interior design, colour, antique furniture and music. She plays the clarinet and the piano. In recent years her appreciation of art has moved towards contemporary paintings and sculpture and the work of English and New York artists.

After nearly two decades as a lawyer, in the summer of 2000, Susannah decided to "come out of my legal cage" to pursue her artistic interests. In the late 1980's/1990's she had tried to combine both careers by opening an antique shop in Richmond, Surrey selling early walnut and french furniture, but the demands of two careers were overwhelming and a choice had to be made.

Susannah travelled to France for a month last July and a month turned into three months, and true to her passion she found an old property which required renovation. A large 17th century building in an artistic village in the South Luberon consisting of part shop / house.

Susannah found that the french laws relating to commercial premises were very restricitive affording the tenant almost total security of tenure, and so she decided if at all she had to open her own gallery: in view of the nature of the village and the style of the property the idea of a French Chelsea Arts Club/home began to develop. As the months went past she met local French artists and as a result of her inspiration together they have formed a french /English charitable association. Susannah hopes that she will be able to source established French artists via her gallery, and provide them with an opportunity to also exhibit in the UK - Rene Rovellotti is an established french sculptor who exhibits throughout France and has recently crossed the Channel with five limited edition sculptures.

In order to gain a better appreciation of the artists she represents she has recently started to attend sculpture and drawing classes.

Susannah lives between Oxfordshire, England and Provence, France.

Rye Arts Club
Mermaid Street
Rye, East Sussex
TN31 7ES

email: susannah@swangallery.com