Auctioneer Spotlight: Angela Trumble

Many of our Park West collectors develop friendships with the art teams over the course of their land or sea vacations. Here’s a chance to get to know them more as they share their favorite adventures in the art world.

Angela Trumble, principal auctioneer, is from Johannesburg, South Africa. Art has always been a part of Angela’s life. After graduating from Rhodes University she was heavily involved in the art community in Johannesburg. Since then her passion has taken her to working on the seas and studying at Oxford University.

Angela Trumble has been around the world sharing her passion for art and continuously learning. Photo credit: Angela Trumble

Previous ships as Auctioneer: Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) Spirit, CCL Legend, CCL Pride, CCL Triumph, CCL Valor, CCL Elation, CCL Ecstasy, CCL Paradise, Norwegian (NCL) Sky, Holland America Westerdam, Celebrity Constellation, Regent Navigator, Regent Voyager, and Azamara Journey
Current ship: NCL Spirit

What do you like most about being an auctioneer?
Angela: I love witnessing that moment when someone falls in love with an artwork. I’ve seen it many times from the auction block. You have just observed a new relationship starting between an artwork and a collector. I love sharing in those moments of great connections with my collectors. It makes this so much more than a job, it’s a vocation of bringing art to people who may not always have access to it.

Who is your favorite Park West artist and why?
Angela: I believe Nano Lopez’s bronze sculptures are extraordinary. Having studied sculpture, I completely appreciate his incorporation of color into the bronze medium. I love his whimsically brilliant ‘Nanimals,’ the stories behind each creation and how much detail each one contains. You could spend all day just exploring all the details.

As for Old Masters, I adore Rembrandt, Goya and Chagall. I spent a great deal of time just lost in their work, fascinated by the fact that I get to be in their presence every day. I have all three artists in my collection and I remember what an incredibly special day it was when I got to add a Chagall color lithograph to my collection. Its sublime blue textures greet me whenever I walk down my passageway in South Africa and your heart can’t help but smile.

What is your favorite guest memory?
Angela: When I was on Rhapsody of the Seas, I met this family from New Orleans – Arlette, Wayne, and their kids. At the first auction, they told me that they were animation collectors, but they had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina except one Tazmanian Devil. They came to every single art auction and we found replacements for almost every single animation work they had lost except one, a ‘Bart Simpson’ group scene of all the characters.

A few years later, I was on the NCL Spirit and who should come aboard but Arlette and Wayne. They came to every auction and the last day I managed to secure for them a very special addition – the ‘Bart Simpson’ artwork that we couldn’t get on their first cruise. I now visit my “second family” whenever I’m in New Orleans.

Angela enjoying the beauty of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. Photo credit: Angela Trumble

What has been your favorite port?
Angela: After 8 years, I have travelled to five continents so it’s very hard to pick a favorite. I love scuba diving in Cozumel, climbing glaciers in Alaska, cradling koalas in Australia and exploring every art museum I can find.

I’m also a big foodie so I love finding the restaurants off the beaten track where all the locals hang out. I always try to go with the waitress/waiter’s recommendation when I’m in a foreign restaurant. I tend to get something I never expected and I’ve discovered some amazing dishes I would never have known about.

How has your experience as an art auctioneer advanced your career in art history?
Angela: After 5 years on the cruise ships, I decided to take a sabbatical to achieve one of my lifelong dreams, getting my master’s degree from Oxford University. I completed my degree in 2012 in Art History and Visual Culture specializing in Modernity, from the innovations in Impressionism to Modern Art today. My thesis was on the ‘Art of the Signature’ specifically on the significance behind Picasso’s use of his signature and how the Dadaists used their signatures as a secondary form of presence in their work. As glorious an experience as it was to be in such a prestigious center of learning, I found that I missed the fast pace of ship life and getting to share my passion for art with all the guests. As soon as I graduated, I was back on a ship!