The Art Of The Deal

They're known as "hidden persuaders" and their tastes and opinions guide which art works the super-rich buy. They bid millions of dollars at auctions and nobody knows the real purchaser; they dispose of major art pieces and the seller's identity remains secret. Watertight confidentiality is the watchword for this discreet breed known as art advisors.

Now, London-headquartered Gurr Johns - among the world's biggest and best-known art advisory firms -has just opened an office in India. It's the first emerging-market office to be established by the firm which at a venerable 103 years of age is London's oldest established art consultancy.