about

Charles Ninow is a dealer, auctioneer, and promoter of fine art in Aotearoa. His gallery is located in the historic La Gonda building on Auckland’s Karangahape Road. Originally constructed in the 1920s to house a furniture store, the building was renamed in the 1950s when it was acquired by the La Gonda fashion house.

Charles has developed a reputation for taking a disruptive approach to the art business. After graduating from art school, he secured an entry-level position at Webb’s auction house in his early twenties. Four years later, he left the company to establish his own boutique gallery and auction house, Bowerbank Ninow. Webb’s eventually acquired the business, and Charles returned to lead its fine art division. During his tenure, he transformed the business, setting auction records for nearly every major New Zealand artist. These achievements included the sale of New Zealand’s most expensive painting, Colin McCahon’s Is There Anything of Which One Can Say, Look, This is New?.

Charles draws inspiration from the first-principles approach of New Zealand’s earliest commercial galleries of the 1960s and 1970s. He believes in the transformative power of art and is committed to expanding its audience. By presenting art through innovative formats and techniques, he champions practices that are both intellectually stimulating and spiritually enriching.

Image above:
Charles Ninow with Brent Wong's Town Boundary (1969), Robin White's Glenda at Tahakopa (1978) and Ian Scott's Fly-Away Girl (1969-70).Photograph by Connor Jarden, 2022.