Claude Lévi-Strauss once described the ineffable ‘something’ that can magically transform objects into symbols of universal human creativity – which is precisely what inspires Melissa Ulfane collector’s instinct. Spirit of Place: The Collection of Melissa Ulfane, which is on view at Dreweatts in London and Berkshire ahead of an auction on 4 March, brings together an array of artworks and furnishings accumulated during years of travels in Britain, Europe and Morocco. This collection was showcased in her recently sold Paris home: a 1630s hôtel particulier restored by the architect Laurent Bourgois and located in one of the French capital’s oldest royal squares.
South Africa-born Melissa was still a child when, during nomadic wanderings across Europe with her family, she began to develop an eye for beautiful, one-of-a-kind objects. As an undergraduate reading English literature at Brasenose College, Oxford, she started buying old master drawings, which, she notes, were easy to come by then, as well as leather-bound editions of the books she was studying. ‘Rescuing these objects made me feel intimately connected to the individuals who had created them and to the long-lost worlds they had inhabited,’ she says.
In 1997 Melissa founded Pushkin Press, which translated the works of writers she particularly loved – European classics as well as contemporary authors – into English. The London-based publishing house, which has since been bought by Adam Freudenheim who previously ran Penguin Classics, was known for its elegant book covers, all personally curated by Melissa herself. ‘Each one of these publications opened a door on to a world I wanted to explore.’
Intellectual curiosity and a sense of wonder define Melissa’s approach to collecting too. ‘It is all part of a learning process,’ she says. Most of the objects in the sale were acquired through trusted friends who are, or were, experts in their fields. These include Alexis Kugel, Alessandra di Castro and the late Robert Kime. Christopher Gibbs was another mentor figure. It was he who introduced her to the world of rare oriental textiles and Islamic art, which feature prominently in her collection.
Many of the contemporary pieces, including glass sculptures by Tristano di Robilant, paintings by Orsina Sforza and Patrick Kinmonth, and photographs by Rafael Y. Herman, are by artists Melissa knows and admires. As for the furniture, be they fine antiques or modern designs, they all conform to what she considers the one fundamental quality of any good interior: comfort. When it came to furnishing her Paris home, Melissa asked Hugh Henry, of Mlinaric, Henry and Zervudachi, to help her achieve that quintessentially British touch.
The collection on sale at Dreweatts mirrors a long and eventful phase in Melissa’s life. It is no surprise that there is some sadness at the thought of parting ways with so many beloved objects and the home that contained them. The silver lining, however, does not escape her: ‘Collecting, for me, was never about possession. It is a way to pursue knowledge and experience. This sale marks a new departure, and I am excited to see where it will take me.’
‘Spirit of Place: The Collection of Melissa Ulfane’ will take place at Dreweatts Donnington Priory on 4 March 2025
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