Meet the Team

For nearly 50 years, Alan has been the lifeblood of York Fine Arts. Serving as Director since 1970, he has passionately driven the growth of the business from its first gallery in Beverley to its current status as one of the UK’s largest commercial art galleries. With a deeply ingrained reverence for tradition and the traditional heritage of fine art, Alan draws on his decades of experience as an art dealer to select only the best in quality for the York Fine Arts collection.

Like tradition, family is of the utmost importance to Alan; so it is with great pride that he now savours the privilege of working side by side with his son Philip, thus continuing the family tradition and ensuring the lasting legacy of York Fine Arts.

Philip has been involved in the gallery since childhood; but it was in 2006 that he began to take his place at the head of the family business. After acquiring an interdisciplinary skill set through his work in advertising, the North American film industry and with Rolls Royce in China, Philip went on to establish the gallery’s London dealership, The Colomb Art Gallery. Quickly gaining a prestigious reputation and an international clientele, The Colomb Art Gallery firmly secured places for both itself and for York Fine Arts in the global art market. During this time, Philip also built the gallery’s website—one of the UK’s first—which he continues to manage and continuously evolve to this day.

Today, Philip stands at the helm of York Fine Arts as Managing Director. Building on the traditional foundations of the gallery, Philip applies his own intuitive innovation and long-term vision to drive York Fine Arts’ business development and bring the gallery seamlessly into the future.

Julia has been at the heart of York Fine Arts since the very beginning. After having a painting accepted to the Ferens Art Gallery’s Winter Exhibition at the age of just 16, Julia developed what would become a lifetime love of the fine art world. At the age of 25, fuelled by her own passion and encouraged by her husband Alan Short, she sold her beloved MG Midget and took out a small bank loan to open her first gallery in East Yorkshire—a gallery that would one day grow into a chain of galleries across Yorkshire, now collectively known as York Fine Arts. After decades of business management, today, Julia continues to manage the gallery’s accounts and remains an important part of the sales and consultancy team.

An invaluable asset to the York Fine Arts team, Deanna first joined the gallery in 2014 as a Gallery Assistant before being appointed to her current role as Gallery Manager. Her MA in Museum Studies and previous experience in the cultural sector have given her a refined, curatorial approach to her management of the gallery and its operations, while her natural enthusiasm and keen artistic eye has seen her identify and build relationships with some of the leading and most up-and-coming contemporary artists in the country.

Before progressing to her current role as Senior Gallery Assistant, Kirsty first held the role of Gallery Assistant with diligence and dedication from October 2017. Fostering a lifelong passion for the arts, Kirsty’s love of fine art can be traced back to her childhood visits to Newcastle’s Laing Art Gallery, where she found early inspiration within the collection. An artist herself who enjoys painting, drawing and illustration, Kirsty has a personal appreciation for the subtleties of fine art and relishes opportunities to discuss them with clients.

A London native with a longstanding love of contemporary art, Sarah has provided steadfast support to both York Fine Arts and the Colomb Art Gallery for many years. Today, she is an integral member of the sales and consultancy team, where her innate flair for design and detail has greatly contributed to the success of the gallery’s art consultancy services.