Christie’s veteran Marc Porter left the auction house at the end of 2015 and began work at Sotheby’s to great fanfare in January 2017 after a year garden leave, which included a two-month trip to Turkey.
Christie’s said Porter’s new role as chairman of its operations in the Americas is an “expansion of his previous responsibilities” and will include a focus on private sales. His start date is yet to be confirmed but he will report directly to chief executive Guillaume Cerutti.
Cerutti said: “Marc’s appointment complements the changes we made at the board and executive levels late last year and marks a further step in the refinement of our structure as we plan for growth opportunities ahead.”
During his brief stint at Sotheby’s he was chairman of its Fine Art division which was formed just over a year ago and is also chaired by Amy Cappellazzo and Allan Schwartzman who became part of Sotheby’s when their firm Art Agency, Partners was purchased for $50m in January 2016.
Before joining Sotheby’s, Porter spent 25 years at Christie’s. He was credited with securing major private collections such as those of actress Elizabeth Taylor and US collector and dealer in Asian art Robert Ellsworth.
He is a trustee of the New York Botanical Garden and a law graduate who began his career at New York law firm Proskauer Rose.
