One of France’s most prominent art market figures, Guillaume Cerutti, crossed the Channel last month to take up his new post as president of Europe, Middle East, Russia and India at Christie’s in London. Cerutti joined Sotheby’s France in 2007, becoming chief executive of the company. His move to the rival auction house, after a year-long non-compete period, came as a surprise to the trade.
“At the moment, building well-curated sales, with fresh objects and fair estimates is a priority, and I am confident that is what we have achieved for our forthcoming post-war and contemporary sale on 6 October in London,” Cerutti says. “Developing our client base, particularly in the Middle East region, where Christie’s has a longstanding presence, in Russia and in emerging markets, is another key priority.”
Cerutti says that he is unbowed by the challenges in post-Brexit Britain. “We work in a global, highly competitive and evolving environment, and are confronted by long-term challenges,” he tells us. Christie’s says that it has no plans to move any operations from London to Paris (see main story).