1818 Auctioneers' saleroom manager Bill Nelson.
1818 Auctioneers
Simon Thompson has joined 1818.
Image: Steve Barber
1818 Auctioneers in Cumbria has expanded by hiring Simon Thompson, an auctioneer and valuer who was previously at Penrith Farmers’ & Kidd’s (PF&K) which closed its fine art department in 2020. Thompson also worked at Mitchells of Cockermouth
Saleroom manager Bill Nelson (pictured top), who joined in 2016, said its move to timed online sales helped boost its sales and it announced a record year for 2021 with turnover just short of £1.5m with profit up 50% on the previous year.
Graham Budd
Graham Budd Auctions is under new ownership, with its founder becoming chairman. Former Sotheby’s director Graham Budd founded the sports memorabilia specialist 18 years ago and has recently agreed a sale to a syndicate led by businessman Tim Murphy. As part of the deal Adam Gascoigne, who runs sports memorabilia conservators and framers Sportsframe, is now CEO. Read about it in ATG 2530.
Portland Gallery
Jamie Anderson has joined Portland Gallery in St James’s as director.
He was previously at Waterhouse & Dodd in Mayfair for 23 years and was most recently head of its Modern British and UK Contemporary art departments. In his new role he is helping to drive the firm’s Modern British offering, handling estates and increasing secondary market dealing. He also works on the Contemporary side of the gallery.
Christie’s
Christie’s has appointed Adam Bilbey as its global head of its wine and spirits department.
Christie’s has appointed Adam Bilbey as its global head of its wine and spirits department.
The newly created role, working with teams across Asia, Europe and the US is based in Hong Kong due to Bilbey already living in the region.
Bilbey is tasked with helping Christie’s win consignments and drive sales with the aim of expanding its wine business worldwide.
François Curiel, chairman of Christie’s Europe, said: “Building upon the strong contribution by APAC (Asia Pacific) clients in our auctions in 2021, and the historic results achieved at the largest wine auction ever held at Christie’s King Street last December, we are determined to elevate our luxury business to the next level, particularly the wine and spirits category in Asia.”
Bilbey previously worked at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong and prior to that worked at British wine merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd in Asia.
Heritage Auctions
Michael Wajszczuk of Heritage.
Michael Wajszczuk has joined Heritage’s Beverly Hills office as a consignment director in the auction house’s timepieces category.
He comes to Heritage after spending 14 years as owner of Los Angeles-based Modernvintageclassic, Inc, a ‘curating service specialising in luxury goods and watches’.
He started his career in the financial industry, as an analyst of the Bloomberg Financial Markets, but switched careers.
Wajszczuk’s expertise evolved out of more than 30 years of collecting – mostly vintage dive watches and chronographs, but also several vintage Rolex Submariners, GMTs and what he calls his “prized Rolex Day-Date bark finish ref 18248”.
Last year Heritage announced that Michael Schmidt had joined its Chicago office as a consignment director, timepieces.
Hindman
Tim Luke of Hindman.
US auction house Hindman has launched an independent division called Hindman Appraisals. It is now using a secure appraisal management software programme with smartphone apps to streamline cataloguing and photographing collections during on-site inspections.
Hindman’s Tim Luke will lead this new division as national director of appraisals and valuations.
He has also been appointed as the vice-chair of the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) by the Appraisal Foundation, which is authorised by Congress as the source of Appraisals Standards and Appraiser Qualifications in the US. The seven-member board is responsible for writing, amending and interpreting the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). This will be Luke’s third year serving on the ASB.
Webb’s
Charles Tongue of Webb’s.
Charles Tongue has joined New Zealand auction house Webb’s as a valuations specialist.
He gained his first role in a saleroom at Dunbar Sloane in Wellington. On returning to Auckland, he managed commercial art galleries from 1997-2008.
Tongue then moved to Abu Dhabi to manage an art gallery, run public art programmes and manage gallery participation in major international art fairs.
