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Alec Rolfe Retirement
30 October 2020
Larson-Juhl’s Alec Rolfe has been in art and framing all his working life – so 4walls is keen to celebrate his many achievements over 54 years!
Alec’s career started in 1966 when he joined Fiehl Art in London straight from school. Fiehl specialised in reproduction paintings which involved putting prints onto canvas and putting them through a roller (which was Alec’s first job), before having brush marks painted on to make them look like oil paintings. Alec loved to watch the framers and they eventually trained him in the art of picture framing.
Once a framer, he became a customer and Derek Masters used to visit selling moulding for Arquati, which later became Arqadia and then Larson-Juhl! Then when Alec was made redundant in 1981, Derek gave him a job to work alongside two other long service stalwarts, Paulo Botrugno and Pauline Hutchinson.
Alec’s early work included making ready-made frames for the Italian Collection at Arquati, since then he has literally framed thousands of pieces of artwork and objects through the years for staff, family, friends and charities including a guitar, golf club, boxing gloves, cricket bat and hundreds of football shirts. He has also worked in the chop department, despatching samples, and helped out in the warehouse. He has been involved with numerous exhibitions and not surprisingly, given his great work ethic, commitment and attention to detail, says: “It is always great to see your work on display!”
Some of Alec’s favourite jobs include the framing done for The Willow Foundation and Soundwaves as part of sponsorship arrangements.
4walls asked Alec what has changed most over the decades. “Machinery has, of course, evolved dramatically throughout the years,” he says. “When I first started framing, I used a table top saw and would nail together the joins! Nowadays, all the automatic machines make the job a lot easier. And standards have improved hugely within the industry when it comes to preserving artwork.”
He added: “Arquati/Arqadia/Larson-Juhl has been a massive part of my life and 40 years of the happiest times of my life.”
Paulo is one of many, many colleagues who are sad to see Alec retire. He told 4walls: “I have known Alec since the day he started at Arquati UK on March 3rd 1981 and I can honestly say he has not changed from the friendly guy I met that day. One early memory that springs to mind is the gracious way he handled Italy winning the World Cup on July 11th 1982!
“It was over the next few years that the company really started to grow and its success has been due to the likes of staff such as Alec. He is somebody all people get on with and is respected as a hard working individual that cares about the contribution he makes on a daily basis.”
Paulo also said: “I appreciate the help he has given me personally over the years and consider him as a friend more so than a colleague. I am sure his family are well proud of a father that has always led by example in his working life. I know he would love to carry on and never retire but I wish him well in his retirement as he has without doubt earned it! So thanks, Alec, and best wishes on your retirement”.
Fellow Larson-Juhl veteran Pauline Hutchinson added: “They broke the mould when they made Alec. One of the kindest, most hardworking, thoughtful and also extremely frustrating work colleagues I have ever had the pleasure to work with! Alec has always given the company 100%. We had some laughs, for example, setting up Spring Fair where the highlight of the day after an early morning start was a full English with all the contractors in the café. That would set us up for the rest of the day. All in all a sad day for the company to see Alec retiring but with Alec’s daughter Cara (Solomon) working in Matt’s team as marketing executive, he will be kept well up-to-date on all the latest Larson-Juhl news!”
