Andrew Fletcher, senior director and head of Old Master Paintings UK, has decided to leave to pursue new opportunities although it is thought likely he will remain in the auction world.
Sotheby’s has promoted Edoardo Roberti to the newly created role of head of Old Master paintings, Europe. He joined Sotheby’s London in early 2007 where, among other roles, he has been a specialist in cataloguing Italian Old Masters. He spent two years at Sotheby’s New York before returning to London in 2017.
The remit of his new role will also extend to the 19th century European paintings department which Sotheby’s said “ref lects the everincreasing collaboration between departments within the Global Fine Arts division”.
The auction house has also appointed Cecilia Treves as head of research for Old Master paintings, Europe. She joined Sotheby’s as a research specialist in 2014, working on paintings both sold privately as well as at auction in recent years. She was previously an exhibitions curator at The Royal Academy.
Georgina Eliot, who joined the Old Master department in 2015, has been promoted to head of evening sales, and Arianna Leoni Sceti has been appointed head of day sales.
Sotheby’s said that their colleagues in new roles “will continue to work alongside highly experienced colleagues across the Old Master paintings team, including senior figures such as Alex Bell and George Gordon in London, and George Wachter, Christopher Apostle and Otto Naumann in New York.
James MacDonald, who most recently headed Sotheby’s private sales for the Old Master department, has become a consultant.
Fine Art division
Meanwhile, Sotheby’s announced at the end of April that it was restructuring its Fine Art division due to the departure of Amy Cappellazzo.
Cappellazzo joined Sotheby’s in 2016 when her advisory firm, Art Agency, Partners (AAP) which she had founded with private adviser Allan Schwartzman two years earlier, was bought by Sotheby’s for $50m (£36.2m).
The Fine Art division was created to coordinate activities across different sale categories. Schwartzman left in May 2020 as Sotheby’s restructured under the new ownership of Patrick Drahi and now Cappellazzo will depart in July after five years with the company.
Brooke Lampley, who joined Sotheby’s in 2018 having been Christie’s head of Impressionist and Modern art, and Mari-Claudia Jiménez, who has had a 20-year career as an art lawyer, will now lead the Sotheby’s Global Fine Art division.
Gregoire Billault is also being promoted to chairman of Contemporary Art.
