Recruitment

Planning to shortly reopen their Marlborough saleroom, Hamptons have appointed John Haycraft, formerly of Phillips and Dreweatt Neate, as senior valuer and auctioneer.

With a five-year non-compete clause behind her, Leslie Hindman has returned to the auction world with a new 12,000-square-foot auction room in Chicago’s West Loop.

The Antiques and Fine Arts Faculty at RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) have appointed a new chairman and vice chairman. Nicholas Somers, who is principal of Nicholas Somers and Company, replaces Jonathan Meyer as chairman supported by a new vice-chairman, Mark Dalrymple, managing director and proprietor of loss adjusters Tyler & Company.

Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg have opened a new London office in Mayfair to replace their recently vacated Grosvenor Street premises. The new premises at 26-27 Albemarle Street are, say the company, a more cost-effective alternative to Grosvenor Street.

Christian Deydier was re-elected President of France's Syndicat National des Antiquaires in Paris on April 30. The feistily flamboyant Deydier has vowed to “continue to adopt a dynamic and innovative approach” towards “developing the profession and defending its interests”, notably with regard to Unidroit and import VAT.

EARLY needlework specialist Maureen Morris has been appointed to the Board of LAPADA. She joined the country’s largest dealers’ association in 1991 and is already a member of the advisory board of the Olympia Fine Art and Antique Fairs.

Christie’s have announced that a newly-formed department dedicated to single-owner collections and house sales will be headed up by Orlando Rock, assisted by Andrew Waters as director.

SOTHEBY’S have announced that they have given up trying to find a buyer for the controlling stake of disgraced former chairman A. Alfred Taubman.

SOTHEBY’S have started a new staff review and admit that further redundancies are likely.

Lorenzo R. Rudolf has been appointed vice president of International Fine Art Expositions, the David Lester-run fair organising business now owned by dmg world media. Mr Rudolf was the driving force behind ArtBasel for over 10 years before leaving in 1999 to become the director for the Frankfurt Book Fair. He also conceived and set in motion the plans for ArtBasel Miami Beach, launched in December.

Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg have refused to comment on a national press report that they are to cut half of their workforce and scrap their Impressionist and Modern art department.

NEIL Munro, the former managing director of DMG Antiques Fairs, has joined Shropshire-based Wellington Market Company, the owners of Town and Country Fairs, to create a dedicated antiques division.

Peter Waldron, senior silver expert and senior director of Sotheby’s Europe, retired at the end of last year after a 36-year career with the company and 29 years at the rostrum.

BONHAMS have appointed Jon Baddeley, pictured right, to the new role of group head of the Collectors’ department with effect from Monday, February 3.

BONHAMS will call their newly merged American company Bonhams and Butterfields from January 1 and are sending out group managing director Malcolm Barber from London to San Francisco to run it.

RICHARD Madley, former president of Christie’s East, New York, has returned to the UK and joined Hamptons with a view to increasing the firm’s presence in the auction market.

Versatility and a clear career path lead the way: The future of the art and antiques business is centred on small teams with an ability to perform a wide range of tasks beyond their own area of expertise.

NICOLA Beach, who helped set up Drummond Read Recruitment and Training, has formed her own fine arts recruitment company to specialise in a narrower sector of the market.

UK: Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull are expanding their business with the creation of three new jobs, two of them in silver and jewellery.“We are bucking the trend by continuing with our expansion plans as other auction rooms in Scotland reduce their workforce and close offices,” said vice-chairman Paul Roberts.

AUCTION houses, dealers and other fine art businesses can now buy in expertise as and when they need it, rather than having to take on full-time staff.