FEATURES ARCHIVE

How did you make your way into Impressionist and Modern Art?
I studied Art History in Paris and in San Francisco, and knew from early on in my studies that I eventually wanted to work in the auction world. I was extremely focused! Right after college I moved to New York to work in the Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art Department, starting out as the typist and working my way up from there. In 2002 I asked to be sent to the Paris office - it was at this time that French market opened up to international competition, and I thought we needed someone in place who had experience putting together sales. Six weeks later I was in Paris and working. Building the Paris sales and contributing to the evolution of the art market here is one of my proudest professional achievements.

What is the biggest discovery you have made in your field?
In May 2007 we sold a superb painting by Edouard Manet that was previously owned by a private collector in Paris. I came across it on an appraisal of the collection, not expecting to see such an important work. We had lost track of the painting since its passage to one of the Manet heirs upon the artist's death. Naturally, in the time leading up to the auction, it generated much interest internationally and sold for double the estimate. Entitled Femme nu se coiffant, it is one of his late works, intimate in content but with great freedom in the brushstrokes.You can follow the construction of the painting; almost trace the movement of Manet Manet's brush in the sweeping lines. It is a painting that emanates life.

The market seems to be gravitating towards a greater affiliation for sculpture. What do you think has created this shift?
There has certainly been an evolution in the way that collectors view sculpture. Historically collectors often preferred paintings, or flat art, to sculpture. Seizing a work in the round requires a different approach to seeing, and it is ultimately more "work" for a collector. I think contemporary art, what with new mediums ranging from video to installation art, has opened up the field in all categories and the market shift certainly supports this idea. What's ironic is that some artists, notably Degas, actually used his sculptures to model forms in his paintings. Today they offer a wonderful insight into his world as an artist and a very personal view into the artistic process.

Who is your favourite artist? Why?
Piet Mondrian; whom I admire for the rigor of his approach. He, more than any other artist, sought to break down the rules of perspective established during the Italian Renaissance. He took this idea of breaking down perspective - begun by the Cubists - to its farthest conclusion.Yet he maintained an aesthetic harmony in his work; a balance of line, colour and form. He paved the way for the modern artists that followed.

What is the most satisfying part of your job?
I adore the 'detective' side of my job. Hunting for lost works, incomplete stories, missing links… In December last year we sold a collection of works formerly in the collection of Jeanne Lanvin. Amongst the works was a painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, La tapisserie dans le parc. We didn't have a record of the sitter but I recognised the dress she was wearing from other paintings from the same period. It was the same dress worn by Camille Monet in portraits by her husband Claude, as well as other portraits of her by Renoir. It was common for the artists, who were good friends, to paint the same scenes, the same subjects, oftentimes even side-by-side. So to make this attribution, or discovery, was a real thrill. In my view, correctly presenting the work in an auction catalogue, with the most accurate and complete information possible is the ultimate homage we as professionals can pay to the artist who created the work.

Which work from the upcoming sale would you keep for yourself?
That would certainly be Degas' Cheval marchant au pas relevé. The grace and proud bearing of the horse has been masterfully transposed into bronze, and for me, really stands out from the rest of Degas' work in sculpture.

If you were an artist, what or who would be your inspiration?
It's really impossible to say. In college I was required to take an art studio class, and finding myself before a blank canvas left me utterly terrified! Since this moment I have held an even greater respect for those who are able to fill that space with a subject that moves an eventual viewer. To be capable of such a thing, well, you have to be born with something to say, or to express yourself in a way that goes beyond the confines of your own personal history. And it has to be innate to be honest. So I leave inspiration to the others, and I am just delighted to remain on the selling side and to work with some of the greatest talents in Impressionist and Modern art.