Auctioneers 2010
Exemplary client service and extensive experience are the two most important assets that have fueled Christie's success as an auction house. This commitment to excellence began in the auction house's early years when James Christie conducted his first sale on 5 December 1766.
Famed for his eloquence and humour, Christie turned auctioneering into a sophisticated art, conducting the greatest auctions of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Among the many milestones of Christie's auction house was Christie's successful negotiation with Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, for the sale of Sir Robert Walpole's collection of paintings, which would become the Hermitage Museum Collection in St. Petersburg.
Since its founding, Christie's auctions have been major attractions on London's social agenda. Nothing has changed. Today, Christie's salerooms continue to be a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful.
Famed for his eloquence and humour, Christie turned auctioneering into a sophisticated art, conducting the greatest auctions of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Among the many milestones of Christie's auction house was Christie's successful negotiation with Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, for the sale of Sir Robert Walpole's collection of paintings, which would become the Hermitage Museum Collection in St. Petersburg.
Since its founding, Christie's auctions have been major attractions on London's social agenda. Nothing has changed. Today, Christie's salerooms continue to be a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful.
Special thanks to:
SAMIR SHARMA
SAMIR SHARMA: charming Samir Sharma, Independent Charity Auctioneer, has personally auctioned sales in the US since 2002 and spent five years with the world-renown international auction house Christie's, where he was responsible for Client Relationship Management. Some of the charities he has auctioneered for include: Denver Art Museum, Pittsburgh Ballet, Children’s Health Environmental Coalition, Food Bank NYC.
We are delighted to once again welcome Mr. Sharma this evening.
To the auction house CHRISTIE’S for Mr Piers Boothman.
PIERS BOOTHMAN
Piers Boothman, an associate director of Christie’s auctioneers, is a valuer for sale, insurance or taxation purposes, which has taken him to glamorous destinations all around the world, from a motor yacht in Venice, to a Loire chateau, to a private island in Bermuda.
When Piers set out on his path towards his RICS qualification in arts and antiques, after his BA in art and history of art, he perhaps did not expect, some 15 years later, to be the proud auctioneer at the Barbie sale in 2006!
“Being a generalist, every day brings me into contact with new or unusual objects and I enjoy the research aspect that is required, and the increased knowledge that brings. The detective work involved in unearthing a piece of missing provenance, revealing some evidence of old restoration, all make it a very challenging but ultimately rewarding career,” says Piers.
His personal career highlight started out as a routine valuation in Oxfordshire to value a small number of works for taxation purposes.