Bellmans
Bellmans has hired Michael Grist (above) as a senior picture specialist. He joins recently appointed head of department, Julian Dineen, at the Sussex auction house. During the lockdowns of 2020, Bellmans decided to focus on its Sussex saleroom and online operations and its Winchester saleroom has become Rushbrooks.
Bellmans plans four Fine Picture sales a year, along with the regular Interiors Sales. Grist started his 20-year career at Sotheby’s in 1999 where he worked in the British & Continental paintings department at the Olympia saleroom, before moving to the British pictures department in New Bond Street in 2006 where he ran the Sporting, Marine and Scottish sales.
For the past eight years he has been a director of St James's gallery MacConnal-Mason.
Sworders
Essex auction house Sworders has appointed two people to its design and fine interiors departments.
Otto Billstrom takes the position of assistant cataloguer, working alongside head of design John Black.
Meanwhile, sale co-ordinator Charlotte Lee-Finglas joins head of fine interiors James Pickup and specialist Alex Hallet.
Billstrom is from Sweden and after graduating worked at Stockholm’s Auktionsverk as a junior valuer before moving to the UK to work with a Petworth dealer.
Lee-Finglas previously spent five years at the London valuations firm St George Valuations and has also worked at ValueMyStuff, Paddle8, and Barnebys.
Connaught Brown
Nick Hemming-Brown has joined Connaught Brown.
Dealership Connaught Brown has hired Nick Hemming-Brown as gallery director. He was previously at Sotheby's in the Modern British, and Impressionist and Modern departments. Prior to that he spent three years as gallery manager at Simon Dickinson.
London Art Week
London Art Week’s director, Amelia Higgins, has returned from maternity leave and Luce Garrigues remains as director, LAW Digital. Pauline Velge has been promoted to head of creative and digital development.
Garrigues joined LAW in January 2020 as a director and maternity cover for Higgins, where she worked along with Pauline Velge on the online version of LAW.
Prior to this she was fair managing director at Draw Art Fair London and from 2008-14 she ran Trinity Contemporary.
Higgins joined LAW in 2017 and previously worked for Old Master dealer Johnny Van Haeften.
Richard Winterton Auctioneers
Work under way at Richard Winterton Auctioneers.
Richard Winterton Auctioneers is planning further expansion at The Lichfield Auction Centre in Fradley Park.
The Staffordshire auction house is expanding with larger space for its salerooms inside and is planning new space externally for outdoor items. It has also resurfaced the access driveway and part of the car park.
Richard Winterton said: “We are constantly continuing to adapt, improve and expand the business. It’s all part and parcel of future-proofing the business.”
Piasa
Charlotte Lidon and Olivia Anani have joined Piasa. Image credit: ©Alain Polo.
French auction firm Piasa has announced a joint appointment of Olivia Anani and Charlotte Lidon as co-directors of its Africa + Modern Contemporary Art department.
Their first auction of Africa + Modern and Contemporary Art is scheduled for May 19.
Lidon previously worked at galleries and later joined Sotheby’s in 2011 in its department of Classical Arts of Africa and Oceania.
Anani worked at auction houses Sotheby’s, Phillips and Christie’s.
Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions has appointed Richard Adams.
Heritage Auctions has announced that Richard Adams has joined its Beverly Hills office as senior numismatist.
He was previously in Salt Lake City, Utah acting as a grader, wholesaler and appraiser of collectables.
At Heritage he will oversee appraisals and consignments of coins, currency and stamps.
Hindman
Tim Luke has joined Hindman.
Hindman has hired Tim Luke as senior appraiser and auctioneer in Palm Beach, Florida. Previously an Executive Vice President and Senior Appraiser at Gurr Johns, Luke will expand its appraisal services in Florida and across the country.
Prior to his time at Gurr Johns he ran his own auction, appraisal, and events business, TreasureQuest in Florida. He began his career at Christie’s in New York.
