Post-War & Contemporary Art

Eric Chang

International Director - Asian Contemporary Art
Hong Kong

Mr. Chang directs contemporary Asian art sales worldwide at a time of growing collecting interest as demonstrated by the notable success of Christie's spring 2006 sales in Hong Kong. He has been instrumental in this category's tremendous market growth since he joined Christie's Hong Kong in 2000 as department head of 20th Century Chinese Paintings. Today, he oversees all contemporary Asian art auctions in the region and, working closely with Christie's international contemporary art specialists, is seeking to broaden the market of Asian contemporary art by its inclusion in Christie's major Post-War and Contemporary Art sales in New York and London.

With more than thirteen years of working experience in the domain of Chinese contemporary art, Eric has made unrivalled contributions to the development of Christie's 20th Century Chinese and contemporary Asian art market. Under his leadership, Christie's 20th Century Chinese Art sales have generated enormous interest from buyers and collectors around the world.

Eric's many remarkable achievements include the record-breaking sales of 20th Century Chinese Art and Asian Contemporary Art and The Inception of A New Era—The Yageo Foundation Collection in Hong Kong, which achieved the highest total ever in the history of 20th Century Chinese Art (2005).

Robert Manley

Department Head
New York

Robert Manley is responsible for the general management and strategic direction of the New York Post-War and Contemporary Art department while continuing to focus on the two annual Evening Sales and business development at the highest level. Robert joined Christie’s in 2000, first as Specialist Head of 20th Century Pictures, and two years later transitioning to the Post-War and Contemporary team. As head of Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sales in New York, he has been instrumental in the firm's achievement of the first and second highest totals in the history of the category, $385 and $325 million, respectively (2006). Robert's extensive experience in the category along with his mentorship abilities and strategic vision will undoubtedly build upon the department's already significant successes. Prior to joining Christie’s, Robert established his career in several New York-based galleries specializing in 20th century art.

Robert holds a B.A. degree in Art History and History from Rutgers University, and an M.A. degree in Art History from CUNY.

Brett Gorvy

International Co-Head
Deputy Chairman
New York

Brett Gorvy leads the Post-War and Contemporary Art team on an international basis and is responsible for the department’s Evening Sales. An art critic and writer for major British publications such as The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, Mr. Gorvy joined Christie’s in 1994. In 1999, he assumed responsibility for Christie’s newly pioneered and highly successful collecting category, Post-War Art. Under his guiding force, Christie’s became the first auction house to break the $100 million mark.

Brett spearheaded the record-breaking November 2005 Post-War and Contemporary Art sales, which achieved $218.4 million, by far the highest total ever for this category. For the first time, the Post-War and Contemporary Evening sale surpassed those for the Impressionist and Modern Art sales that season.

Amy Cappellazzo

International Co-Head
New York

Amy Cappellazzo is the International Co-Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art and is responsible for biannual sales in this category and to further develop Christie’s business globally. Prior to joining Christie’s in 2001, Ms. Cappellazzo served as director of the Rubell Family Collection & Foundation in Miami; curated numerous exhibitions, including Making Time: Considering Time as a Material in Contemporary Film & Video at the new Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art; and co-edited the book entitled In Company: The Collaborations of Robert Creeley that accompanied a monumental exhibition of the poet Robert Creeley’s collaborations with Francesco Clemente, Susan Rothenberg and other visual artists over the last 40 years. Ms. Cappellazzo sits on various boards, including the Miami Light Project and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. A recognized lecturer in her field, she holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from New York University and a M.A. in Urban Design and City Planning from the Pratt Institute, New York.

Martha Baer

Senior Director
New York

Martha Baer has led the Contemporary auction market through remarkable growth since joining Christie’s in 1978, following her directorship at Acquavella Contemporary Art and an earlier post as Vice President of the André Emmerich Gallery. She is a renowned Post-War and Contemporary art authority, with special expertise in Abstract Expressionism, and is widely respected.

Ms. Baer’s seniority within the firm and length of experience in the field are unmatched elsewhere. She was integrally involved in the formation and sale of a number of top Contemporary art collections including The Tremaine Collection, The Mayer Collection, The Fredrik Roos Collection, The Elliott Collection and most recently, The Boris Leavitt Collection.

Laura Paulson

International Director
Deputy Chairman
New York

Laura Paulson is the International Director in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department. Working alongside department heads Brett Gorvy and Amy Cappellazzo in New York, she plays a key role in international business-getting and supporting Christie’s global sale strategies. Ms. Paulson brings to Christie’s 25 years of experience in auctions and private sales in the Contemporary art field and is highly regarded among collectors worldwide with whom she has established longstanding relationships. Interestingly, Ms. Paulson spent a large part of her successful career at Christie’s, first as a Specialist in the Contemporary Art Department (1989), then rose to the rank of Senior Specialist (1995), followed by her appointment as Senior Vice President, Senior Specialist of Contemporary Art (1998). Expanding her horizon, Laura Paulson accepted a position as Director of Contemporary Art, North and South America, at another major New York auction house, before returning to Christie’s in January 2004.

Jetske Homan van der Heide

Senior Specialist
Senior Director
Amsterdam

Jetske Homan van der Heide joined Christie’s in 1987 and established the Modern Art department in Amsterdam which has held market leadership in the Netherlands ever since. Jetske initiated the Belgian Art sales in Amsterdam as well as the equally successful CoBrA auctions. The many highlights of her career include a world auction record (€486,444) for a work on paper by Piet Mondriaan, consigning several works by Marlene Dumas for Christie’s New York and bringing in Picasso’s Homme à la pipe assis et amour, which fetched £4,264,000 in London. With the sale of a Jan Toorop portrait for €818,400, Jetske achieved the highest auction price ever for a 20th century work of art sold in the Netherlands. At Christie’s, as well as on the international art market, Jetske is regarded as the leading expert on Dutch and Belgian pre-war art.

Jetske studied Art History in Groningen where she specialised in the Modern era.

Arno Verkade

Department Head
Amsterdam

Arno Verkade began his career at Christie’s Amsterdam as a student, and after completing his studies, began specialising in 19th Century Art and Southeast Asian pictures. As head of the Post-War and Contemporary Art department in Amsterdam, Arno’s achievements include having organized the first successful sculpture auction in the Netherlands – which has been held annually ever since; securing several significant works such as Jan Toorop’s Portrait of Mrs. M.J. de Lange, which sold for €818,400, still the highest price ever for a twentieth century painting in the Netherlands; and, as an auctioneer, leading the sales of The Lindenboom Collection of Early Works by Piet Mondriaan and The Collection of Lars Ulrich.

Arno Verkade is an Associate Director of Christie’s international Modern Art department and is board member of the Dutch Federation TMV (authorised registered valuers/appraisers, brokers and auctioneers).

Arno studied Art History in Amsterdam, specialising in 16th and 17th century Flemish masters. Verkade speaks Dutch, English, French and German.

Peter van der Graaf

Specialist
Amsterdam

Peter van der Graaf joined Christie’s Modern Art department in 2000. As a Specialist, he is especially committed to Southeast Asian Modern Art, having been involved in numerous successes, including the Hong Kong sale of the Joe Borkin collection of Affandi’s for €2,870,000. In 2007, Peter realised a new world auction record for a work by Rudolf Bonnet, A Market Scene, fetching €996,000.

Peter studied Art History in Groningen and specialised in Old Master Paintings. He speaks Dutch, English and German.

Judith van Ingen

Specialist
Amsterdam

Judith van Ingen is a Specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department in Amsterdam. Prior to joining Christie's in 2007, Judith was assistant curator for Goshka Macuga’s solo exhibition ‘Objects in Relation’ (shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2008) and was in charge of the production of the retrospective catalogue ‘Keep On Onnin’.

Judith studied History of Art at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, receiving her Bachelor’s degree with a dissertation on Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans. Subsequently, she earned a Master’s degree in Curating at Goldsmiths College, University of London. During these studies, Judith assisted the curators of the Artist Pension Trust team and was invited by the Architecture Foundation to curate the exhibition ‘Best in Show’ at The Yard Gallery.

Francis Outred

International Director
European Head
London

Francis Outred joined Christie’s in January 2009 to oversee the management, strategy and vision of the Post-War and Contemporary Art team in Europe, a new position in the global department. Previously he had spent ten years with another international auction house during which he oversaw the most successful auction of contemporary art ever to take place in Europe. He was also responsible for dramatically expanding the Private Sale aspect of the business in Europe during that time and creating a pioneering relationship between the auction and private sale businesses, handling major outdoor sculpture alongside established masterpieces in the field. He has also twice secured for sale the most expensive work by a living artist ever sold at auction, as well as for the most expensive photographic work ever sold at auction.

Francis graduated in 1995 with a First Class Degree from Chelsea School of Art, London. This included a distinction for his thesis on the history of the brushstroke in 20th century painting. He went on to curate a number of group exhibitions, including many of the so-called Young British Artists, both in London and Europe, and contributed a catalogue essay to the Life/Live project, a major survey of Contemporary Art in Britain, which toured museums in Paris, Berlin and Lisbon in 1997.

Jean-Paul Engelen

International Director
London

Jean-Paul Engelen started his career at Christie's in 1994 as a graduate trainee and worked both in London and New York. During this time he achieved an M.B.A. from Henley Management School.  Jean-Paul became the European Business Manager for 19th & 20th Century Art and in 2002 and then a Specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department in New York. Since June 2005 he has been based in Europe and has played a key role in the sale of works from the Donald Judd Foundation, the sale of Roy Lichtenstein’s In the Car, which achieved a world auction record for $16,256,000, the sale of the CAP Collection in London and various other sales ranging from Willem de Kooning’s Untitled to Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild 710.

Dina Amin

Associate Director
Co-Head of Day Sale
London

Dina Amin is an Associate Director and Specialist in the London Post-War and Contemporary Art department, Head of the Morning Session of the Day Sale, and a Specialist contributing to the Dubai sales of International Modern and Contemporary Art. Having begun her Christie’s career in 1995, she went on to become head of the Twentieth Century Art department at Christie’s East. In 2000, Dina was promoted to the role of Specialist in the Impressionist and Modern Art department and in 2005, Dina assumed the role of Business Development Manager for the Middle East where she was an integral member of the team responsible for the opening of Christie's Dubai and the foundation of the Dubai bi-annual sales of International Modern and Contemporary Art. Dina’s main areas of interest are Post-War art as well as Contemporary art from emerging markets, particularly the Middle East, Iran and India. Born in Saudi Arabia, Dina speaks Arabic and English and graduated with a degree in Architecture and Art History from Wellesley College in collaboration with MIT's Department of Architecture.

Lock Kresler

Specialist
Co-Head of Day Sale
London

Mr. Kresler joined Christie’s in 2005 with a B.A. degree in Museum Studies and Business from Arizona State University.  He started at Christie’s in the Trusts, Estates and Appraisals department and in 2006 joined the New York Post-War and Contemporary Art department as a Specialist. In 2008 Mr. Kresler moved to London to Head the Post-War and Contemporary Art Afternoon Sale. Lock’s focus ranges from Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, Neo-Pop, Appropriation art, Cutting-Edge Contemporary (encompassing American, British and European and Asian) to a strong fascination with new developments in the art scenes of America, Europe and Asia.

Prior to his employment with Christie’s, Mr. Kresler worked at the British Museum in London editing scholarly papers.

Alice de Martigny

Specialist
London

A Specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art in London, Alice de Martigny first joined the department in 2006 with a focus on the Day Sale. Shortly thereafter she was promoted to focus on the Evening Sale. Her primary areas of interest are European Post-War Art particularly Nicolas de Stael and Yves Klein. A French national, Alice holds a B.A. in English and a Masters in Communication (Celsa) from the Sorbonne University, Paris. She also holds a Masters degree in Post-War and Contemporary Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

Anne-Sophie Villemin

Junior Specialist
London

Anne-Sophie Villemin joined the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at King Street in 2008 as a Junior Specialist for the Afternoon Sale. Previous to Christie’s, Anne-Sophie worked at the Galerie Daniel Templon in Paris, the Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York, and the Galerie Volker Diehl in Berlin where she focused primarily on European and German Contemporary Art as well as Contemporary Art from emerging markets including China, India and Russia. Anne-Sophie’s main areas of expertise include Contemporary Art from 1975 to present with a focus on Russian Contemporary Art. Anne-Sophie holds a M.A. from École du Louvre in Paris and an M.A. in French private law.

Beatriz Ordovas

Junior Specialist
London

Beatriz Ordovas joined Christie’s London in January 2007, and has since risen to the position of Junior Specialist. Beatriz is a Spanish national with a Degree in Journalism from the Universidad San Pablo CEU de Madrid and Libera Università Maria Santissima Assunta di Roma. Beatriz has a special interest in Spanish and Italian Post-War and Contemporary Art.

Alexandre Carel

Specialist
Head of First Open Sale
New York

Alexandre Carel is a Specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department and heads the First Open sale, which takes place biannually in New York. Alexandre joined the Post-War and Contemporary Art department in Paris in 2006 and was promoted to the New York office in 2008. As a native of France, Alexandre is actively involved with clients in the European market. He is responsible for business getting at the highest level, and has driven the consignment of important works of art including Tamara de Lempicka's Portrait de Madame M which achieved a world record price at $6,130,500 and Jean-Michel Basquiat's Mater which sold for $5,850,500.

Alexadre holds a B.A. in Finance and Strategy from the Institut d'Etude Politique in Paris.

Florence de Botton

International Director
Paris

Born into a family of great antiquarians and having obtained a diploma in History of Art from the Ecole du Louvre in Paris, in 1992 Florence de Botton became director of a Parisian gallery dedicated to art from the 1950s. Two years later she helped to establish a Contemporary Art Department in an auction house and conducted many sales, including the Lescure and Nahon collection. She also worked with major collectors and international organizations, and helped to set up important exhibitions of video art.

Considered an expert in her domain, Florence de Botton joined Christie’s Paris in 2005 and has since helped to develop the strategy, while assisting in the organization of the Post-War & Contemporary Art sales twice a year in Paris, as well as in London and New York.

Jean-Olivier Desprès

Director
Paris

After his studies in the United States, Jean-Olivier Desprès moved to Paris and began his career at the Galerie Baudouin Lebon and set up many important photography exhibitions, such as the “Shooting the Chase, Photographies de chasse du XIXème siècle” exhibition in 2004. After working for the Galerie Keitelamn in Brussels, he joined Emmanuel Perrotin in 2005 to specialize in Contemporary Art.

Jean-Olivier Desprès joined Christie’s Paris in 2008 and has played an intrinsic role in the cultivation of the Post-War & Contemporary Art sales in Paris, as well as in London, New York and Hong-Kong.

Christophe Durand-Ruel

Specialist
Paris

Christophe Durand-Ruel grew up in a family for whom art had played an important role for many previous generations. He graduated from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in the United States. He began his career in a French auction house, and launched his gallery of contemporary art before joining Christie’s in 1998.

He played a major role in sales of numerous contemporary works of art in London and New York. One of his landmark achievements is the sale of Nature morte aux tulipes by Pablo Picasso, which sold for €31,752,660 in 2002.

Laëtitia Bauduin

Specialist
Paris

Laëtitia Bauduin began her career in 1996 at the Parisian auction house Francis Briest in the Impressionist and Modern Art Department. In 2000, she joined the NART group, an online art gallery, as a specialist in modern and contemporary art, before going to Poulain Le Fur, which was later acquired by Artcurial.

Laëtitia Bauduin joined Christie’s Paris in 2006 and has since been in charge of developing the Post-War & Contemporary Art sales in Paris, as well as in London, New York and Hong-Kong.

Matt Carey-Williams

European Private Sales Director
London, King Street

Matt Carey-Williams joined Christie’s in 2009 as Private Sales Director for Post-War & Contemporary Art in Europe, reflecting the increase in demand for private sales from international clients in this particular field.

Previously, Matt was a Director at Haunch of Venison and has twelve years’ experience in the Post-War and Contemporary market. Prior to Christie’s, Matt worked for the Gagosian Gallery in New York, as well as eight years with another major auction house in their Contemporary departments in both London and New York. Matt’s experience with both primary and secondary art markets provides him with the best possible knowledge to develop private sales for Christie’s in Europe, and will ensure that Christie’s clients continue to be offered the very best advice and expertise for both the private and auction sales.

Matt graduated with a First Class degree in English Literature and History of Art from The University of Birmingham in 1996, and gained his Masters in Contemporary Art History and Theory from the Sotheby’s Institute in 1997. He has lectured widely on contemporary art and the post-war and contemporary art markets in Boston, London, Vienna and Seoul and continues to contribute to various magazines and journals.

Sara Friedlander

Specialist
New York

Sara Friedlander began her career at Christie's in the Post-War and Contemporary department in 2005 and is responsible for researching and cataloguing the biennial Morning and Afternoon sales. Sara's main area of expertise lies in post-1960's American Painting and Photography with an emphasis on work by women artists. She is also a charity auctioneer.

Sara graduated from Brandeis University with a BA in Art History, with minors in Creative Writing and Women’s Studies. She went on to complete her Master’s degree in Fine and Decorative Arts at the Sotheby’s Institute in London where she wrote her dissertation on late 19th and early 20th century American and British periodical illustration.