Our Story

The combination of Armenian origins with a European upbringing allows Keshishian an advantage in having a deeper understanding of the spirit and aesthetics of both. Coming from the town of Kayseri in central Anatolia, they were one of the most prominent merchant families in the region with a wide range of interests including textiles, Horse breeding, farming and had the privilege of being granted the official stamp for production of raki, cheers!

In 1915, all changed, and with the loss of our grandfather, the family moved to Constantinople, on the advice that it was safer there. The eldest son, Aram, who was educated at the American College in Talas, Kayseri, having an academic background and a leaning to the arts, decided to establish a shop dealing in oriental carpets and textiles. This was outside the bazaar, as at the time the bazaar was used mainly as stables for horses. His contemporaries would state that he had the best eye for carpets in Turkey. There were only a handful of carpet merchants and so reputation was an important criteria for success, and indeed it was shameful to offer the wrong item.

To this day, adhering to this standard is intrinsic to our attitude in maintaining a healthy position and good conscience. Karnik, being the youngest of his brothers, left Turkey in 1928 for Vienna and later settled in Berlin before coming to London in 1939 to visit his sister. With war breaking out, he was not permitted to return and decided to stay in London. Since it was also the world centre of the oriental rug trade, he took space in the Port of London Authority Warehouses (PLA) which housed the wholesalers.

In 1978 Karnik’s son Arto joined the business followed by his younger brother Eddy a couple of years later, at which point dealings were primarily to the trade and supplying numerous department stores such as Liberty’s, Heal’s, Harvey Nicholls and Harrods. The brothers decided to open a gallery in 1992. KESHISHIAN is located at the heart of London’s celebrated design district of the Pimlico Road, specialising in antique carpets and tapestries from the Gothic to Pop Art periods. The gallery soon firmly established themselves as a destination for visiting International clients. In order to accommodate demand in the U.S.A., a second gallery was opened in New York City to better serve our American clients, which is currently run on an appointment basis.