The hierarchy of the auction world with Robert Manley, Deputy Chair of Phillips

THE FIRST RECORDED AUCTION ACTIVITY TOOK PLACE IN GREECE IN 500 BC WHERE WOMEN WERE AUCTIONED OFF AS BRIDES BY THEIR FAMILIES. ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCH POSTED IN THE TELEGRAPH, IN A BLOG BY CHARLOTTE ZAJICEK, IN OCTOBER 2016, THE ROMANS, AS WELL, WERE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE AUCTION PROCESS, REGULARLY SELLING OFF THE SPOILS OF WAR, SLAVES AND DEBTORS’ HOLDINGS BY THIS MEANS.

Roman Slavery Auctions

AFTER A LULL OF SEVERAL CENTURIES, THE AUCTION HOUSE, IN A FORM SIMILAR TODAY, BEGAN TO MULTIPLY, THE FIRST, THE STOCKHOLM AUCTION HOUSE APPEARING IN 1674, FOLLOWED BY SOTHEBY’S, FOUNDED IN 1744 AND THEN CHRISTIE’S, IN 1766.  IN RECENT DECADES, MODERN TECHNOLOGY HAS TRANSFORMED THE PROCESS OF AUCTIONING, INITIALLY WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF TELEPHONE BIDDING AND AND CURRENTLY REVOLUTIONIZING THE AUCTION PROCESS WITH ONLINE AUCTIONS DURING A PERIOD WHEN THE CONTEMPORARY ART MARKET HAS EXPLODED TO A FULLY GLOBAL SCOPE.

Online auction

TODAY, THE LRFA BLOG WELCOMES BACK ROBERT MANLEY, DEPUTY CHAIR AND WORLDWIDE CO-HEAD OF POST WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT PHILLIPS, FOR A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE AUCTION HOUSE DEPARTMENT HIERARCHY, FORM AND FUNCTION. THANK YOU, ROBERT, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO JOIN US!

HOW DOES CHRISTIE’S STRUCTURE ITS DEPARTMENTS? WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A JUNIOR SPECIALIST, SENIOR SPECIALIST AND DEPARTMENT HEAD?

At the top, you have the International Head (or Co-Heads) who provides the vision and overall direction of the department worldwide. Then there are the local Heads of Department in New York and London, who report into the International Head. Then there are Sale Heads: Evening sale, Day Sale, Off-season (such as First Open), and Online sales. These Sale Heads are in charge of virtually every decision related to their sale, and they report into the local Department Heads. Junior specialists/cataloguers generally report to Sale Heads. 

Then there are various senior colleagues who report to International Heads, who work on various important deals and assist important clients. We also had a separate Private sale department within the department, with its own team of specialists and administrators. This was the general structure about 1 year ago. In many ways, all specialists do the same things—we work on appraisals, price and evaluate artwork, help bring in business, help manage consignments, and work with collectors and dealers when it comes to buying and selling art.

Working side by side with the International Heads and Department Heads are Business Managers, who make sure everything runs smoothly and help manage everything on a day to day basis. They are the unsung heroes of the departments, in some ways, along with the various administrators who help manage the mountains of paperwork and logistics.

HOW MUCH INVOLVEMENT DID YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE IN THE WRITING OF THE CATALOGUE LOT NOTES, A RICH AND HUGELY ACADEMIC CONTRIBUTION NOT JUST TO THE SALE BUT TO THE UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOTS COMING UP FOR SALE.

When I started in 2000, the specialists on the team wrote all of the notes. I wrote a fair amount of the Evening sale essays in my first 6 years at Christie’s and it was an important part of my learning experience. I remember on more than one occasion, being at Christie’s at 3AM as we were finishing the Evening sale catalogue, and having Brett Gorvy (the International Head of Christie’s) ask me to write or rewrite a quick catalogue note. The catalogue deadline period is a bit like being in graduate school, and working insanely long hours was (and still is) a regular occurrence.

I forget the exact date but it wasn’t until about 2008 or so that we finally hired a proper full-time writer…by the time I left, we had a small team of writers (and a pool of freelancers) writing most of the essays. Brett Gorvy was a writer before he joined Christie’s and he took the texts and catalogues very seriously, obsessing about the comparables we would use, and the catalogue layout. He wrote many of the texts himself and still writes on the things that are important to him. In this regard, he was very much an inspiration and I learned a great deal from him.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS IN TERMS OF CONSIGNING WORK FOR SALE? HOW DOES THE SELECTION PROCESS OF WHICH SALE WOULD BENEFIT THE CONSIGNEE THE MOST TAKE PLACE?

Another great question, impossible to answer quickly. It really depends on the object. For 90% of the works, the choice is clear—all sales have a general band of minimum and maximum values and most artists have a clear track record of having performed well in those venues. And as I said before, my personal philosophy is that the auction estimate is what matters, more than the venue.

But there are situations in which a work of art can arguably be put in more than one sale and that is a decision that is generally made by a Sale Head. When it involves an Evening sale, the Sale Head typically gets input from their senior colleagues. We treat one-off consignments differently than a collection. You might not put a $100,000 Warhol in an Evening sale, but if it comes in with a nice group of higher value Pop Art, you might.

There is also an intangible quality, a bit hard to define, but you are looking to put as many “special” works as possible in the Evening sale. Unlike a day sale, you can only have a finite number of works in an Evening sale and since it is the only Sale that the press will cover, it needs to be both interesting and commercially successful.

Personally, I think the distinction between an “Evening sale lot” and a “Day sale lot” is a false one. Every situation is different. I remember putting some great works by the Canadian Color Field painter, Jack Bush, into an off-season sale in July 2013 (from the collection of Andy Williams)…a move that some people in the trade were second-guessing. The three works in the sale remain three of the four highest prices ever paid for the artist, including the current world record, which sold for over $600,000 against an estimate of $30-50,000!

Jack Bush
Red Side Right (Right Side Red) 1965

YOU REACHED THE STATUS OF DEPUTY CHAIRMAN AT CHRISTIE’S PRIOR TO YOUR DEPARTURE? WHAT WERE THE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THAT ROLE AND IN THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON WHICH YOU SERVED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY DEPARTMENT?

Essentially I did the same job I always did…working with top clients on top consignments. The only difference was that on the Executive Committee (and other committees I served on), I was involved with the strategic planning and overall vision of the department.

THE ART MARKET ENTERED A CORRECTION PHASE AT LEAST TWO YEARS AGO, AND WITH EACH PASSING SEASON OF AUCTION RESULTS, CONTINUES ITS REVISIONIST TREND. ROBERT MANLEY IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MOST EXPERIENCED AND SEASONED VETERANS OF THE AUCTION WORLD AND, IN OUR NEXT POST, THE LRFA BLOG IS VERY PLEASED TO HAVE HIM AS OUR GUIDE.

PLEASE JOIN US!

 

 

The art of auction with Robert Manley, Deputy Chair at Phillips

ANDY WILLIAMS: AN AMERICAN LEGEND Robert Manley and colleague with Ed Ruscha’s ‘Mint (Red)’ (R) and Willem de Kooning’s ‘Untitled XVII’ (C)

A SINGLE OWNER SALE AT AUCTION OFTEN REPRESENTS A LIFETIME OF COLLECTING, A FIERCE COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO A PERIOD OF ART,  A PASSIONATE UNENDING SEARCH, ATTENDING AUCTIONS, ART FAIRS, AND GALLERIES, VACUUMING UP KNOWLEDGE FROM EVERY DEALER, SPECIALIST AND CURATOR. EACH AUCTION HOUSE COMPETES AGGRESSIVELY  FOR A SIGNIFICANT ESTATE OR COLLECTION OFFERING GUARANTEES, PREMIUM CATALOGUE PLACEMENT, SOMETIMES A SEPARATE PUBLICATION, AS WELL AS EVENTS PREVIEWING THE WORK, TRAVELING HIGHLIGHTS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE AUCTION HOUSES AROUND THE WORLD.

THE PASSION OF THE COLLECTOR RESONATES IN A SINGLE OWNER SALE, SUCH AS CHRISTIE’S ANDY WILLIAMS: AN AMERICAN LEGEND.

In addition to music, Williams’s other great passion was art. His collecting philosophy was based on exemplary connoisseurship – taking time to study an artist’s oeuvre and buying only the best examples… with special emphasis on artists working in New York and Los Angeles, some of whom he knew: de Kooning (a favorite), Hofmann, Diebenkorn, Kline, Noland, Ruscha, Motherwell, Oldenburg and Basquiat. ‘I could not imagine a life without paintings,’ he once admitted. ‘I look at my paintings every day… I could not imagine a room without art.’

Damien HIrst: Magnificent Obsession
Barbican Art Gallery, London

THE ARTIST DAMIEN HIRST HAS BEEN AN IMPASSIONED COLLECTOR SINCE CHILDHOOD. IN THE BARBICAN EXHIBIT, MAGNIFICENT OBSESSIONS: THE ARTIST AS COLLECTOR, HIRST SPEAKS ABOUT HIS COLLECTION OF SKULLS, TAXIDERMY AND MEDICAL MODELS AS

…reminders of what life is, and what it might be or will end up being. A collection is deeply personal, and says so much about who the collector is, and what they believe in or are afraid of, but I think it also inevitably ends up speaking of many fundamental and universal truths.

 

DURING HIS 16-YEAR TENURE AT CHRISTIE’S, ROBERT MANLEY, FORMER DEPUTY CHAIR OF THEIR POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY DEPARTMENT, LED SEVERAL OF THE HIGHEST-GROSSING SALES IN AUCTION HISTORY. HE WORKED CLOSELY WITH MANY OF OUR MOST PRESTIGIOUS COLLECTORS AND BROUGHT THEIR WORK TO THE MARKET AS HE CONTINUES TO DO SO AS DEPUTY CHAIR OF PHILLIPS.

THE LRFA BLOG IS PLEASED TO CONTINUE ITS DIALOGUE WITH AUCTION EXPERT, ROBERT MANLEY, ON THE ART OF AUCTION.

 

Robert Manley with
Warhol’s Silver Liz
Looking Forward to the Past
11 May 2015, New York

YOU ARE KNOWN AS A “RAINMAKER”, AND JUSTIFIABLY SO. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THAT MONIKER?

I take that as a compliment, but I’m not comfortable with these kinds of descriptions, there is far too much ego in it. I know full well that a fair amount of the business that I’ve done has been a result of my being at the leading contemporary auction house. At the end of the day, the focus should be on the art, the artists, the collectors and the dealers (in that order)…auction house “rainmakers” should be near the bottom of the attention-getting food chain. 

I think of myself as an advisor of sorts, someone who helps people with making smart decisions when it comes to building their collections. If you build trust and confidence with people, they will think of you when it comes time to sell. I also get a fair amount of referral business from people I’ve worked closely with.  Most of the “rain” that I’ve made has come from people who I’ve worked with over the years.

Robert Manley & Leslie Rankow
Evening Sale Preview
Christie’s New York 2010

 

I admire truly experienced art advisors, who understand the business, know the history behind things and the market. In some ways, people like you are how I model everything I do and that’s not a facile compliment.

IN AN INDUSTRY THAT IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, WHAT GUIDANCE DO YOU GIVE A COLLECTOR IN TERMS OF HIS OR HER EXPECTATIONS WHEN CONSIGNING A WORK? AT AUCTION, CATALOGUE PLACEMENT, SALE PLACEMENT, PRIVATE SALES VS. AUCTION, TO NAME A FEW CONSIDERATIONS THAT COME TO MIND.

That is an excellent question, and one could write a book with the answer. I hate to generalize, but I know from experience that the most important thing is that the work must have a sensible and attractive estimate. The rest is essentially window dressing. If you are working with a knowledgeable auction specialist or advisor, put your trust in them and more often than not, you’ll be rewarded with a successful outcome. Don’t be seduced by aggressive estimates.

Regarding private sale versus auction for contemporary art, it really depends on the object, but in general, I think auction houses thrive best with classic examples by big name artists. In general, auction houses are not set up to handle private sales for works of art under $250,000 and they have little success with artworks that are atypical or by artists who don’t have a strong track record.  

One increasingly smart option for collectors is to get both auction and private sale options from an auction house, what we call a “rollover” consignment … an object is consigned for a limited period of time for private sale, and if it doesn’t sell, it immediately goes to auction. In this scenario, consigning a lower priced artwork to an auction house makes sense for all parties concerned.

For a large percentage of the art that is in search of a home, an auction house is not the best place for it. A good auction specialist refers plenty of business to dealers who are better equipped and more knowledgeable about a particular artist. I would rather give clients the best advice, even if it means some business goes elsewhere.  

Jackson Pollock
Christie’s, 2004

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SALES THAT YOU CONSIDER THE MOST SIGNIFICANT?

In 2004, Christie’s had the first Contemporary Auction that surpassed $100 million…we had a great Pollock work on paper from MoMA that sold for a world record price for the artist of around $10 million. We all thought there probably would never be another $100 million Contemporary sale, at least not for many years (anyone who tells you otherwise is lying). Little did we know that it would be the beginning of an incredible bull run in the contemporary market, in which every season would be more valuable than the next.

POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY EVENING SALE
SALE 2785
New York, Rockefeller Center
15 May 2013

One important landmark was Christie’s May 2013 Post-War and Contemporary Evening sale auction. At $495 million, it which was the highest value sale of its kind, anywhere, in any category. Previously, all of the top value auctions were Impressionist and Modern sales. Now that the contemporary department had surpassed that, it was clear there would be no going back. The disparity between the Contemporary and Impressionist and Modern sales would increasingly grow with each passing season. This isn’t because one market was better or stronger, but simply there wasn’t enough supply of great Impressionist and Modern works.

Henry Darger
At Sunbeam Creek/At Wickey Sansia
Christie’s New York: January 27, 2003
20th Century Self-Taught and Outsider Art

One sale that was lower value, but as meaningful as any I was involved with, was the Outsider Art auction that I curated for Christie’s in 2003. Consisting mostly of works from the incomparable Robert Greenberg collection, it was the first standalone outsider auction at an international auction house. I somehow squeezed this project in, in-between my working 80 hours a week at Christie’s East on the 20^th Art sales.

Clyfford Still
1947-R-no. 1
Post War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale, November 2006
5,000,000 – 7,000,000 USD
Sold 21,296,000 USD Premium

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SPECIFIC WORKS AND/OR COLLECTIONS THAT WERE THE MOST OUTSTANDING DURING THE TIME YOU HEADED THE POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY SALES?

One of the most memorable experiences was a consignment of a painting by the Abstract Expressionist painter Clyfford Still. Dating from 1947, dramatically painted in red and black, and in the same collection for over 40 years, the painting had all of the fire and jagged energy that you could ask for. It was truly as good a painting as you would ever get on the market, and since the artist sold few works in his lifetime (with the rest locked up in a trust), it was extremely rare. The deal was still being done on July 30, 2006, and as my fiancée was walking down the aisle, I remember taking the call from the consignor (I kept the call brief!). I worked on the deal throughout my entire honeymoon. Estimated at $5-7 million, it sold for over $21 million, a world record at the time.

Right: Collector Anita Kahn with Christie’s Robert Manley
(Photo: Sarah Thornton)

I will also never forget working with Andy Williams and Anita Kahn, and bringing their collections to market when they died. It was bittersweet selling the works of two good friends, but I knew that I honored their collection and their memory in a way that few people could have. The auction results were astonishingly good, both between $70-$100 million, which is a testament to their eye and their passion. 

IN OUR NEXT LRFA POST, ROBERT WILL DESCRIBE THE ENORMOUS SCOPE AND SCALE OF FOCUS AND DEDICATION THAT A SIGNIFICANT POSITION IN THE AUCTION WORLD DEMANDS. ROBERT IS PASSIONATE ABOUT HIS WORK AND ABOUT ART AND HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ROLE OF AUCTION SPECIALIST!

Robert Manley, Phillips Deputy Chair, on artists, auctions and the art market

Robert Manley
Deputy Chairman
Phillips

2016: A YEAR OF SURPRISES, UPHEAVAL AND CHANGE IN EVERY POSSIBLE ARENA: POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC. CERTAINLY THE SEA CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP AND HIERARCHY AT THE AUCTION HOUSES AND GALLERIES HAS BEEN OF TSUNAMI PROPORTIONS IN THE ART WORLD. AMONG THE MANY SHIFTS OF VENUE, APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS, LAST JULY PHILLIPS ANNOUNCED A SIGNIFICANT COUP; THE APPOINTMENT OF ROBERT MANLEY AS DEPUTY CHAIR OF POST WAR AND CONTEMPORARY FOLLOWING A LONG-STANDING AND BRILLIANT CAREER AT CHRISTIE’S.

ROBERT IS A COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND WHO HAD ADVISED ME ON BIDDING AND COLLABORATED WITH ME ON A MULTITUDE OF TRANSACTIONS, BOTH BIG AND SMALL, AT CHRISTIE’S FOR AT LEAST A DECADE. IT IS NO SURPRISE PHILLIPS HAS WELCOMED HIM AS AN IMPORTANT LEADING FIGURE IN THEIR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EXPANSION STRATEGY OF THE LAST THREE YEARS MARKED BY THE ARRIVAL OF EX-CHRISTIE’S ED DOLMAN IN 2014.

Phillips New York
Park Avenue at 57th Street

Phillips Auction House was founded in London in 1796 by Harry Phillips, formerly senior clerk to James Christie. The company descended in his family through the 20^th Century until Bernard Arnault, chairman of the French luxury brand, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey, and merged his acquisition with the esteemed art dealers Simon de Pury and Daniela Luxembourg.

By 2013, the Mercury Group, a Russian retail and real estate conglomerate, acquired total control from de Pury and has expanded its international presence to include an impressive corner on 57^th Street and Park Avenue (450 Park) and a modern, beautifully designed London Headquarters on Berkeley Square in the heart of Mayfair. Phillips has dedicated the last few years to forming a strong and unique presence in the competitive auction world in which Christie’s and Sotheby’s are serious rivals. As the art world has seen significant changes in the collector profile and buying habits, Phillips focuses on the younger, and perhaps edgier collector. 

IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT THE LRFA BLOG OPENS THE 2017 POST WITH ROBERT MANLEY, SHARING HIS PROFESSIONAL HISTORY AND TOUCHING UPON HIS NEW POSITION AS DEPUTY CHAIR AND SENIOR INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIST OF 20th CENTURY AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT PHILLIPS.

ROBERT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LRFA BLOG.

I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH YOU FOR MANY YEARS WHEN YOU WERE AT CHRISTIE’S AND LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE IN YOUR NEW POSITION AS DEPUTY CHAIRMAN AT PHILLIPS. ALTHOUGH WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER A LONG TIME, I KNOW ONLY RANDOM BITS AND PIECES ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL HISTORY. ONE OF THE NICEST BONUSES OF THE LRFA BLOG IS LEARNING MORE ABOUT COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS SINCE WE TEND TO FOCUS ON THE IMMEDIATE TRANSACTION OR EVENT AT HAND.

 

 

ROBERT, WHAT PROMPTED YOUR INITIAL INVOLVEMENT IN ART? WAS YOUR FAMILY INTERESTED. WAS THERE AN ARTIST IN THE FAMILY, OR SOME AMBITIONS IN THAT DIRECTION YOURSELF?

I can date my interest in art to the first day of Art History 101 in college. I had always loved history, but until that day, I never thought of art as vehicle for a dialogue with history, ideas, aesthetics, politics and culture. It was a revelation. That class began an obsession that continues to this day. Learning about art is a bit like trying to put together a never-ending puzzle, and every day I try to fill in another blank space.

Joan Washburn

I KNOW THAT YOU WORKED FOR JOAN WASHBURN, ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED DEALERS IN THE ART WORLD. WHAT PERIOD OF TIME WERE YOU WITH THE GALLERY? WHAT EXHIBITIONS HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF ART?

The one thing about Joan that many people don’t know is that before she became a dealer, she was a top specialist at Sotheby’s…she has a great understanding of the role that auctions play in the art world and the ways in which auction can play havoc. It made me appreciate the responsibility that auction houses have, to artists and their galleries.  

Leon Polk Smith
Selections from Miami
December 16, 2016 – January 31, 2017
Washburn Gallery

Joan has been showing a diverse array of compelling art during her 40+ years in business (and still going strong), but the exhibitions that interested me most were the historical exhibitions we mounted. I was at the gallery in the late 1990s and we had exhibitions of Jackson Pollock, Louise Nevelson and David Smith, all estates with which we had a direct relationship. Joan was a joy to work with and I learned an enormous amount from her, especially the seriousness with which she researched, curated and installed the exhibitions. I also learned from Joan the importance of humor…she has a sharp wit and a great infectious laugh. I hope to one day have half of her energy and grace.

Jackson Pollack
Works on Paper
Washburn Gallery, NY

WERE THERE SPECIFIC PERIODS OF WORK THAT ALWAYS RESONATED WITH YOU? HAVE THESE PASSIONS AND ENTHUSIASMS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? DO YOU THINK THAT AS WE ALL SEE MORE WORK, MORE EXHIBITIONS AND NEWER CONTEMPORARY WORKS, THAT OUR OWN EYE AND UNDERSTANDING EVOLVE, OR THAT PARTICULAR ARTISTS THAT ORIGINALLY RESONATE THE MOST STRONGLY CONTINUE TO DO SO?

I think our eye is always developing and our tastes change somewhat, but once you reach a certain understanding of art, it’s more like constructing a building–the things you love are like your foundation, and as you see more, you’re building more floors on top of them. I find my tastes and interests become more catholic with each year.

Manley with Mark Rothko painting

I’ve always admired the works of the Abstract Expressionists, the visual power and directness of the best of them.  The historian in me likes the story of the genesis and development of the movement, and how it is inextricably linked with contemporary world events of the time.

Bill Traylor
American Folk Art Museum, NY

I’ve also come to appreciate the work of Outsider Art. I was fortunate to work at Luise Ross Gallery, where we showed, among others, Bill Traylor, Minnie Evans and Thornton Dial. Outsider Art is a bit like the Abstract Expressionists, in the way they are very much unmediated expressions. They were trying to find something within themselves and express it to the rest of us. As I learned more about the movements that came in the wake of Abstract Expressionism, I became drawn to Minimalism and Conceptual art of the 1960’s, and the artists in their wake.

Miguel Barcelo
Muletero, 1990
Phillips London Evening Sale
March 8, 2017

IN OUR NEXT POST, ROBERT EXPANDS ON HIS GALLERY EXPERIENCE AND THE PROFESSIONAL PATH THAT LED HIM TO CHRISTIE’S AUCTION HOUSE. WE HAVE A GREAT EXPERT ON TAP, WITH A PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE OF THE ART WORLD AND MARKET AND A GENUINE PASSION FOR ART AND WELCOME ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.