Private Sales

Jay joined Christie’s in 1998 after graduating with a Master’s degree in History of Art from the University of Cambridge. In 1999 Jay became a specialist in the Impressionist and Modern Art department and was appointed International Director in 2011. Two years later he became the Head of the London Impressionist and Modern Art department, successfully leading the team and the London sales through a period of immense growth and change in the market. During this time Jay was also responsible for sourcing business and developing top client relationships throughout Europe, and oversaw the record breaking February 2014 evening sale, which at £179.9million became the largest sale ever held in London in any category. In 2019 Jay became Head of Private Sales for the Impressionist and Modern Art group in Europe, in which role he is responsible for managing the growth and development of the channel.

Joanna Szymkowiak is a Vice President, Senior Specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department, focusing on business development for auction and private sales, as well as cultivating important client relationships. She joined Christie’s in 2011. During her time at the company, Joanna has been closely involved in the sale of key works by Joan Mitchell, including three of the top ten auction records for the artist, as well as Morris Louis, Hans Hofmann, Jackson Pollock, Wayne Thiebaud, Ed Ruscha and Alexander Calder. She has also been responsible for numerous breakout prices by artists including Ruth Asawa, Neil Jenney and Robert Colescott. Joanna earned her BA in International Letters and Visual Studies and in French from Tufts University as well as an MA degree from New York University.

Tylee Abbott serves as Vice President and Head of the American Art department. In addition to overseeing the department, he assists clients with all aspects of art collecting, from acquisition and sales to appraisals.

With a particular affinity for Western American Art, Tylee has played key roles in Christie’s marquee single owner auctions The Legend of the West: Iconic Works from the T. Boone Pickens Collection and Visions of the West: American Paintings from the William I. Koch Collection. Notable auction results within these collections include Thomas Moran, Frederic Remington, N.C. Wyeth among others. Tylee has also contributed meaningfully to noteworthy results for artists ranging from Alfred Jacob Miller to Victor Higgins and Rebecca Salsbury James.

Prior to joining Christie’s, Tylee held roles across the art world, including with another major New York auction company, as an independent art advisor, and at private galleries. He has also authored over 50 articles on the American and Western American Art markets. Tylee holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Business from Franklin & Marshall College and a Masters in Art Business from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art – London.

Active in the luxury sector for 25 years, Julien began his career in 2000 at the jeweler Boucheron where he remained until 2010 joining Christie’s.

Today, as the International Head of Private Sales Jewels, Julien Brunie contributes to the worldwide success of private sales at Christie’s. His extensive knowledge of the luxury industry facilitates swift and discreet transactions for important collectors.

After receiving his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, Joshua Glazer obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. His dissertation, From Dossale to Macchina: the Silver Altar of Saint John the Baptist and its symbolic function in Florence, was written under the direction of Professor Marvin Trachtenberg. In addition to traveling extensively throughout Europe, he has lived in Florence and Paris. He has lectured in New York and Italy, and has taught art history at New York University, Hunter College and Adelphi University.

As International Head, Masterpiece and Private Sales, and Head of the London annual Exceptional Sale, Amjad Rauf’s main focus is Decorative Arts Masterpieces, notably for sales in London, Paris and New York. Based in London, Amjad works closely with his Decorative Arts colleagues globally, as well as other Christie’s representatives, collaborating with them on matters of client relations, sourcing, valuations, curating and expertise. Responsible for Decorative Arts Private sales since 2014, Amjad staged the exhibition “Empire, curated by Hubert de Givenchy” in 2014, and “Expanding Horizons”, in 2021, focusing on the relation between Asian Contemporary Art and Classical Decorative Arts. One of the most international members of Christie’s Decorative Arts team, Amjad is fluent in English, Dutch, German and French. He joined the department in London in 1995, and has since, in various capacities, worked on the sales of European Decorative Arts as well as key European and US Collections, such as the sale of the late Dr Anton Dreesmann in 2002 (£22,4 Million); The Champalimaud and Wildenstein Collections in 2005 (£39 Million and £21,9 Million), Taste of the Royal Court in 2016 (£ 6,7 Million) and the Eric Albada Jelgersma Collection in 2018 (£ 22 Million). A highly memorable moment in his career was the sale of the Badminton cabinet in 2004 (£19 Million), the most expensive piece of furniture ever sold at auction.

Drawing from over 30 years of professional experience, Pola Antebi is a global ambassador representing Christie’s in its operations around the world from her base in Hong Kong. As one of the most senior Chinese ceramics and works of art specialists in the firm, Pola regularly meets with prominent collectors, dealers and museum representatives in Asia, Europe and the United States to advise about her market, assist with curation of collections and to secure art works for sale both for auction and private sales.

Pola began her career in the field in New York in the mid-1980’s. Her dedication to further the prominence of Chinese works of art brought her to Asia and she joined Christie’s Hong Kong in 1990. As part of a pioneering team, Pola quickly grew the department, and supported the expansion of Christie’s presence throughout Asia. By 1998 Pola was promoted to Head of department, a role she held for 14 years. During this period of unprecedented growth, she was instrumental in elevating the category globally; her department regularly shattered auction sale records. .

Through her passion, commitment and engagement with notable academics, Pola has made substantial contribution both to Christie’s and to the study of imperial ceramics and works of art, with a personal emphasis on Chinese imperial ceramics, lacquer and jade carvings from the Song to Qing dynasties. .

Pola is also passionate in sharing her knowledge and experience with the younger crop of Christie’s specialist; she actively supports the mentorship program and has initiated a learning and development specialists’ forum which she chairs.

Sophie joined the Book Department as a specialist in 2013, covering medieval and renaissance manuscripts, autograph letters and manuscripts, and archives. She is also Head of Private Sales for the International Books and Manuscripts department.

Ms. Gristina joined Christie’s in 2012 and has since worked closely on the sales of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 17th-Century Chinese Porcelains from the Collection of Julia and John Curtis, Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Daniel Shapiro Collection, The Collection of Pierre Durand and J. J. Lally & Co., among others. Prior to joining Christie’s she served as the Director of The Chinese Porcelain Company in New York for over ten years. While there she developed her expertise in Chinese porcelain and export art, ceramics and works of art, with a focus on objects of the 17th and 18th centuries. She was responsible for exhibition development and overall gallery management, and authored over twenty fully-researched exhibition catalogues. In 2007 Ms. Gristina followed other pursuits as a private consultant and writer, including co-authoring four volumes on Chinese export porcelain entitled, Portugal in Porcelain from China; 500 Years of Trade (2008-2011, Art Books Ltd., London). She served on the board of The National Antique and Art Dealers of America from 2001-2005 and the board of Asia Week New York from 2014-2016.

Alma Davidsohn is a Specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department in New York, working in the Private Sales team, with an interest in emerging contemporary artists. Born and raised in Israel, Alma has a unique perspective on the global art-market, having worked in the Middle east, Europe and North America. She began her career at Christie’s in London, where she held various roles on the Post-War and Contemporary Art department Day and Evening auctions. Since 2021 Alma’s focus has been the development of private sales of contemporary art, withing the unique sphere of an auction house. Alma received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Psychology from Tel Aviv University, and a Masters of Arts degree in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York.

Andrea is an Associate Specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department in London. Having joined Christie’s in early 2020, Andrea previously worked in the financial industry for Bloomberg L.P. for 12 years in a myriad of roles. He then completed a Masters in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2017 and subsequently worked for the National Portrait Gallery where he worked on fund raising for their capital regeneration project, including a dedicated auction of works sold to benefit the project at Christie’s in March 2019. Andrea also holds a degree in Economics and is fluent in Italian.

Daphné Riou joined Christie’s New York in 2018 as the Head of the Design department.

Prior to joining Christie’s, Daphné worked at Sotheby’s for six years, where she held various positions in the Design departments in Paris, London and finally in New York for four years, where she oversaw the sale of several masterworks and important private collections of 20th Century Design.

Daphné graduated from HEC Paris business school, earning a master in Art & Creation management and studied art history at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris.

She started her career in the auction world working at Christie’s Paris, with the legendary sales of the Château de Gourdon collections which totalized 42 million euros in March 2011.

In her past year working at Christie’s, Daphné oversaw the sale of the 'Pond Lily' Lamp that sold for $3.4M in December 2018, a world record for any work by Tiffany, and the record breaking sale of the cabinet by Eugène Printz and Jean Dunand which sold for $5,496,000 in June 2019.


Daphné Riou a rejoint Christie's New York en 2018 en tant que responsable du département Design.

Avant de rejoindre Christie's, Daphné a travaillé chez Sotheby's pendant six ans, où elle a occupé différents postes au sein des départements Design à Paris, à Londres et enfin à New York pendant quatre ans, où elle a supervisé la vente de plusieurs chefs-d'œuvre et d'importantes collections privées de Design du 20ème siècle.

Daphné est diplômée de l'école de commerce HEC Paris, où elle a obtenu un master en management de l'art et de la création artistique, et a étudié l'histoire de l'art à l'Ecole du Louvre à Paris.

Elle a commencé sa carrière dans le monde des enchères en travaillant chez Christie's Paris, avec la vente légendaire des collections du Château de Gourdon qui a totalisé 42 millions d'euros en mars 2011.

Dernièrement, Daphné a supervisé la vente de la lampe 'Pond Lily' qui s'est vendue pour 3,4 millions de dollars en décembre 2018, un record mondial pour toute œuvre de Tiffany, et la vente record du cabinet d'Eugène Printz et Jean Dunand qui s'est vendue pour 5 496 000 dollars, en juin 2019.

Darius Himes is Deputy Chairman, International Head of Photographs, based in New York City, where he oversees a global team holding auctions in Paris, London, and NYC. He is focused on private sales and business development, with a keen emphasis on bringing singular collections and individual masterpieces to market in innovative ways. In recent years, his strategic approach has yielded outstanding auction records for Man Ray, Edward Steichen, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, and William Eggleston among others. In 2022 alone, the department achieved three of the four top prices for any photograph sold at auction.

Since joining the company in 2014, Himes has had the privilege of speaking with Sir Paul McCartney, Richard Gere, and Sir Elton John about their love of photography and has interviewed on stage numerous artists including Hiroshi Sugimoto, Mona Kuhn, Todd Hido, and Bruce Davidson about their work. He was instrumental in bringing the personal collection of DJ Kool Herc, the founding father of Hip-Hop, to Christie’s for a landmark sale in the summer of 2022.

Prior to joining Christie’s, Himes was director of Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco from 2011–2014. In 2007 he co-founded Radius Books, a non-profit publisher of books on photography and the visual arts. A lecturer and writer, his 3rd edition of Publish Your Photography Book, co-authored with Mary Virginia Swanson, was released in the spring of 2023.

Himes completed his Master of Arts in Liberal Arts at St. John's College in 2000 and received a BFA in Photography from Arizona State University, having studied under William Jenkins and Bill Jay. His love of the full breadth of the medium is evident in his work both within and outside the auction world.

Prior to joining Christie’s Paris in 2013, Flavien Gaillard was a Design dealer, with an experience of organising two exhibitions dedicated to 1960s French designers Max Sauze and Jean-Louis Avril. Flavien’s expertise lies in developing French design from 1950s and onwards.

In his role as Director of Design, he is searching for furniture from great designers from the post-war period, including Jean Prouvé, Alexandre Noll, Charlotte Perriand, and Jean Royère. In 2017, he organised the sale Tribute to Jean Royère, where he sold a pair of armchairs Ours polaire at a world record of €847,500. In 2018, Flavien was in charge of the Georges Jouve family collection, which became the biggest collection ever sold at an auction, totalling over €1,000,000. In November 2019, Flavien presented a never-before-seen commission by Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, with unique pieces untouched since 1951. Alongside this collection, a beautiful bookcase Tunisie by Charlotte Perriand sold for €225,000.

>>>"Après avoir réalisé deux expositions monographiques sur les designers Max Sauze et Jean-Louis Avril en tant que marchand, Flavien rejoint Christie’s en 2013 où il développe le Design français de la seconde moitié du XXème siècle. Dans son rôle du directeur du département design, il cherche à présenter les noms importants de la période d'après-guerre tels que Jean Prouvé, Alexandre Noll, Charlotte Perriand, Jean Royère…En 2017, il organise la vente hommage à Jean Royère où une paire de fauteuils Ours polaire est vendue 847 500 € record du monde pour le modèle. En 2018, Flavien était responsable de la collection de la famille Georges Jouve, le plus large ensemble jamais présenté aux enchères et vendu pour plus de 1 000 000 €. En Novembre 2019, il présente une collection inédite de Pierre Jeanneret et Charlotte Perriand restée intacte depuis 1951 aux côtés d’une très belle bibliothèque Tunisie de Charlotte Perriand vendue 225 000 €
Son expérience et son expertise sur le mobilier français de la seconde moitié du XXème siècle sont des éléments clefs du succès de nos ventes de Paris et à l’international.

Jakob Angner is a Specialist in Impressionist & Modern Art with a focus on Private Sales. Jakob joined the Impressionist & Modern team at Christie's, London in 2018, and two year later he moved to the Private Sales team where he is part of business-getting and client development, providing clients with appraisals and advice on the market for Impressionist & Modern Art. Prior to joining Christie's, Jakob held positions at both fine art dealers and another international auction house in London.

Jakob studied History of Art at Uppsala University and holds a Bachelor degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Warwick; he is fluent in English and Swedish.

Nicholas joined Christie's in 1992 and trained as a general valuer, based in London, South Kensington. In the mid-1990s he moved to the Chairman's office to work on house and collection sales, overseeing the two largest house sales carried out by Christie's in Spain and Switzerland in 1998 and 1999. In 2001 Nick was asked to lead Christie's Estates, Appraisals and Valuations departments across Europe with offices in the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands. During this time his team greatly expanded the valuation activities for Christie's across Europe, Middle East, Russia and India. In 2009 Christie's identified a need to provide greater services to corporate clients and Nicholas was appointed to lead this group alongside his existing responsibilities. In January 2013 he joined the Modern British Art department as a senior director, whilst still maintaining his focus on corporate art collections. Nick has been an auctioneer for Christie's since the late 1990s and regularly takes auctions in London and Italy.

Paige Kestenman, a Specialist in Christie’s American Art department, is responsible for sourcing and sale curation for the American Art auctions in New York. Paige regularly provides clients with market updates, valuations and proposals for sale, and she works with a wide array of collectors on both auction and private sale acquisitions.

Since joining Christie’s in 2013, Paige has worked on several important consignments by American Modernist masters, including the world-record Abstraction by Marsden Hartley ($6.7 million), Edward Hopper’s Windy Day ($1.2 million) and Norman Lewis’s Street Scene (a record for a figurative work by the artist at $440,000). Other notable auction sales include Boston School Impressionist Frank Weston Benson’s The Reader ($2.9 million), iconic illustrator Norman Rockwell’s The Christmas Coach ($1 million) and Hudson River School painter Sanford Robinson Gifford’s Mansfield Nose ($519,000). Paige has also assisted clients with private treaty transactions for artists ranging from Rockwell, Milton Avery, Jacob Lawrence and Andrew Wyeth to John Singer Sargent and George Inness.

Paige earned her Masters in History of Art and Art World Practice: Art, Style and Design with Distinction from Christie’s Education London. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University with High Honors and is a member of the Sigma Xi Research Society and Phi Beta Kappa Society.