The new business will be based in London and will offer services to collectors including locating works, advising on purchases, managing collections and “navigating the auction world”. They are currently seeking suitable premises in Mayfair and aim to launch in September.
The two specialists have been close colleagues for many years, previously holding a joint role as co-chairmen of Sotheby’s Europe after January 2011.
Wyndham worked for Sotheby’s for 22 years, becoming the firm’s chief auctioneer and conducting flagship sales in both London and New York. He was also regarded as a key player in building relationships with Sotheby’s clients and had an important role as an ambassador for the firm.
It was announced in March that he would be leaving with his final sale being the auction of the personal collection of his friend, the late Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire.
Clore was co-chairman of Impressionist & Modern art and left the company at the end of February after 35 years at the auction house. She had joined Sotheby's in 1981 as a graduate trainee and had led the Impressionist & Modern Art department since 1990. She was also first female auctioneer to take an Imps & Mods evening sale at Sotheby’s and was appointed as a trustee of the Tate Gallery by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2004.
Complementary Skills
While Clore’s contacts and expertise in Imps & Mods sector will give the new company a strong foothold at the top end of the Modern art market, Wyndham has plenty of experience in a range of sectors including Old Masters and Modern British art. He also previously worked as a dealer after leaving Christie’s in 1987 and before joining Sotheby’s in 1994.
Clore told the Financial Times that the emphasis of their new business “will be on the best of the best” and that they will operate in across the board from Old Masters to post-war art.
