Old Masters & 19th Century Art Specialist

Context

Our client is a privately owned, well-established London auction house which is fast becoming a major player in the international art market. With 20 specialist departments, regular dedicated and themed sales are held across a breadth of specialisms. They are looking for a specialist in Old Masters and 19th century art to join their team in the New Year.

The Old Masters and 19th Century Art department curates three main sales a year spanning the 16th to the 19th century, each currently hammering around £300 – 400k per sale across approximately 300 lots. The department sits within the wider pictures team: in addition to Old Masters, the team is responsible for the sale of Modern British and Irish Art, Impressionists and Modern Art, Contemporary Art, and Prints and Multiples. It is currently the most successful team within the business.

Areas of Responsibility

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Strategic and business development

• Develop business contacts and strategic opportunities, including developing auction and private sales strategies
• Identify and maintain relationships with all client categories (private individuals, collectors, galleries, dealers, other auction houses et al)
• Research, analyse and evaluate market trends, and buying and selling patterns in order to devise a business development strategy
• Identify and grow the client base for sourcing and selling of Old Master paintings, drawings and 19th Century art

Consignments, valuations, cataloguing, pre and post-sale responsibilities

• Take lead responsibility for consignments to the department, alongside the specialist, and work with the rest of the pictures team on consignments of pictures within the team and to other departments as appropriate
• Respond to incoming walk-ins, written, phone and email enquiries to determine sale potential, along with other members of the department
• Work with the Head of Valuations on external valuations, including probate, collections and whole house valuations Work with colleagues to determine provenance, authenticity, value, condition, and marketability
• Work with the specialist on the photography of the art works, cataloguing and lotting the sale
• Work with the Creative Manager, Art Handlers and others on preview set-up; help staff the preview, work on outreach, condition reports and potential buyers to market and sell the sale
• Work with the marketing team to help develop a coordinated marketing plan to achieve budgeted sale totals
• Participate in all relevant aspects of the sale; assist with post-sale activities including post-sale evaluation to continuously improve the offer

General

• Ensure compliance with all internal policies and procedures and any relevant external bodies or processes
• Participate in organisation-wide meetings, activities and processes, and develop internal contacts, networks and interactions as appropriate
• Actively participate in events, valuation days, and other functions to represent our client e.g evening events to promote the sale
• Carry out other duties as required by the Managing Director, Executive Directors, Associate Directors and others

Person Specification

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• A qualification relevant to the field
• Proven knowledge in the field of Old Master paintings, drawings and 19th century art both through study and work experience
• Experience in the field, preferably at a top auction house
• Proven ability to develop relationships with the major collectors, dealers, auction houses and galleries, as well as private individuals
• Excellent writing skills in English, and an ability to combine an understanding of the material with a commercial sense of marketing and promoting value
• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills, including first class spoken English
• Ability to work to tight auction deadlines, balancing photography, cataloguing, sale organisation, marketing and promotional details
• Experience working on projects of all sizes, long- and short-term; demonstrated ability to prioritise a variety of concurrent projects
• Excellent knowledge of the Microsoft 365 Suite
• Superior customer service skills
• Strong follow-up skills with attention to detail
• Ability to thrive within a fast-paced team environment