Guillaume Cerutti has departed all of his positions in François Pinault’s portfolio. After it was revealed last week that Cerutti was leaving his post as president of the Pinault Collection, the Pinault family’s holding company, Artémis, announced on 27 March that he will also leave the chairmanship of the boards of Christie’s and the football club of Rennes (Brittany). No explanation was given for the break-up between the two men, which came as a complete surprise even to their entourages, sources tell The Art Newspaper.
According to the statement from Artémis, Cerutti is being replaced as the the chair of Christie’s board by François-Henri Pinault, François Pinault’s heir and the chief executive of the luxury goods group Kering. Briefly thanking Cerutti for his services, the statement says these decisions were taken “in agreement” between the three men. It adds that François Pinault, 89, will resume the role of executive president of the Pinault Collection, the billionaire's private collection that comprises more than 10,000 works as well as museums in Paris and Venice. A Pinault Collecton spokesperson said there were no plans to appoint a new president of the organisation to replace Cerutti or an interim.
Cerutti will also depart his role as the chair of the board at Stade Rennais football club at the end of the season, in May. The news triggered many reactions locally and in the sports circles. The French football news website Foot Sur 7 points out that, in his less than six-month tenure, Cerutti has played “a strategic role” in boosting the club for its contention for the European qualification and even making proposals to reshape the French football organisation.
“The time has come for me to consider the next stage of my professional journey”, posted Cerutti on Linkedin, admitting “a certain sense of sadness” in turning “such a memorable page”. He added that, “leading Christie’s for a decade was an unforgettable experience, most notably the record-breaking sales in New York of the Salvator Mundi in 2017 and the Paul Allen Collection in 2021.” He also pointed out that the Pinault Collection’s museums in Paris and Venice, “led by a team of the highest caliber”, gathered a “record attendance in 2025 and once again this year”.