Australian art dealer Jay Lyon has sold art to Hollywood actress Sharon Stone and pop star Justin Timberlake, curated emerging artist works a national hotel chain, and sources highly collector artworks for his tight-knit circle of private collectors.
Lyon, who once dated Miranda Kerr, toured with his band Tamarama and starred in the reality TV series The Hills and The City is focused on art within the residential and commercial space these days. He’s noticed an uptick in the demand for contemporary modern works in the home; and it’s the reason his side hustle-turned-full-time-gig is doing well.
He owns six galleries around Australia; his Potts Point location [ArtPlus Gallery] is where he exhibits fashion photography, landscape and contemporary works by local and international names. One of the first pieces of art he ever purchased was a headshot of Brigitte Bardot by the great Douglas Kirkland; and it still stands as one of his favourites within his home.
According to Lyon, who has built an enviable network of celebrities and A-list personalities who collect art through him, says the demand for anything bespoke and original is hotly sought after by collectors.
“The push for anything handmade, hand-painted and created by an individual is what people want in their homes right now,” Jay Lyon said.
Australian former model and musician turned art dealer Jay Lyon. Picture: Supplied
“We’re going to see a massive value upswing in anything that is handcrafted; people are keen for something original that can’t easily be replicated."
His decision to expand his commercial footprint is a sign that consumer demand for collectable works is on the rise. But it’s his mix of high and emerging names that is drawing more attention his way.
He’s all about sourcing art photography with a difference, urban art, pop art and celebrity images that have rarely been seen by the public for his residential and commercial work. Some of the most famous whose works he represents include fashion photographer Ellen Von Unwerth, the late Patrick Lichfield and French photographer Guy Bourdain and Andy Warhol.
Lyon fit more than 38 Scape Australian student hotels with artwork via an Artist in Residency Program. Picture: realcommercial.com.au
Lyon, has created his own black book of contacts through decades of creative agency work and his penchant for world travel.
“Buying art adds value to your portfolio, whether it be in a commercial or corporate setting, at home, or even as an investment – you’ll never make a bad decision when it comes to owning someone’s creative work” he said.
Lyon undertook the massive project to fit more than 38 Scape Australian student hotels with artwork via an Artist in Residency Program. They’re located in cities such as Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney.
“Curating artists that align with the Scape Australia brand is something that sets what we do apart from others,” said Lyon.
Jay Lyon has created a black book of contacts through decades of creative agency work. Picture: Supplied
Artist Nathan Nankervis kicked off the series at the Swanston Street Melbourne location in 2024, while Noni Cragg is the latest artist in residence at Scape Kingsford in Sydney; bringing portraits and large-scale murals to the site, while workshops also take place at the hotel for a point of interactive difference.
“The Artist in Residence program has allowed us to bring in new artists to this space, where they can leverage what they do,” said Lyon.
“Other artists have specifically created massive murals for the locations. With Scape Australia, we wanted to align artists who fit their disruptor approach – they’re heavily into creativity and most of their residents are students in a creative field. It was about bringing in artists that could kind of align with that way of life,” said Lyon.
His black book of connections is proof that all roads lead to famous Hollywood homes, eventually.
“I actually met Sharon Stone through a former flatmate of mine who is very close friends with her. It was via an introduction that we met,” explained Lyon.
“One thing led to another and I managed to get her an amazing Douglas Kirkland artwork. I then sourced an incredible Perry O'Neill work for Justin Timberlake. When people see you’re interested in the same things they are, it’s all about building relationships that evolves naturally over time. I lived overseas in the US and Europe for 12 years and my network and relationships have all formed because of those conversations and people I met along the way,” he says.
More recently Lyon helped source artworks for Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec- a Croatian-Canadian businessman and investor who purchased his latest home in Sydney’s Centennial Park for $23mil in 2023.
Lyon sold him an x-ray work by independent UK artist Nick Veasey for his Sydney residence.
“Nick Veasey’s work is all about exposing the idea of inner beauty and showing how there can be peace in beauty, it was a beautiful addition to other works we got for the home” says Lyon.
“Robert [Herjavec] is a big photographer lover and was already a big collector of Terry O'Neill’s works too. Many of these he brought to his home in Sydney from America,” he says.
“He's obviously got houses all over the world, and each of them has something a bit different, but when helping curate the art for his home in Sydney, we asked First Nations artist Otis Hope Carey to create two incredible pieces. He’s a modern indigenous artist who works in pastel shades of, pinks and green. The work, A Healing Spirit hangs proudly in the home. We then mixed this with really cool black and white photography to give a modern, but soft and very eclectic feel throughout,” says Lyon.
English (US) · 