Words matter. These are the best Alexander Gilkes Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
What you collect is the ultimate impartation of who you are. It’s the archive of your identity – it’s what you leave behind.
I’m a bit of a vault of secrets. I’m a victim of English reserve, which is slightly in contrast to how I communicate when I auction.
If you’re trying to learn how to collect art, the key is getting access to insider opinions, and we pride ourselves on working with the most relevant artists and the collectors with the most authoritative voices.
I started my career at LVMH and then I joined Phillips de Pury under the tutelage of Simon de Pury as second auctioneer and head of marketing.
I feel a strong connection to water, so, no matter the time of year, I always go for a swim.
I’m a bit of a dynamite fisherman when it comes to cooking as I don’t have the patience, but I am a huge foodie.
There is such opacity within the art market. There’s also an abundance of fraud and misrepresented goods, which leads to mistrust between buyers and sellers.
I respect people’s privacy.
We want to ensure works are placed with people who collect responsibly.
There is a heavy leaning to try and extract information from me, and I always have to clamp down.
If I find an item of clothing I like, I tend to buy it in multiples.
Our gutsy view of the world is that with time, there will be three auction houses: two serving the upper end of the market and Paddle8, serving the middle market.
Our generation has become somewhat stripped of identity by the homogenizing effect of technology. So, more than ever, people want to project their own individuality.
We’re big believers that people can learn to collect through the eyes of great collectors.
My father is someone I’ve always looked up to as the ultimate example of chivalry and humility, and someone who’s just deeply kind and empathetic and selfless.
Unfortunately, chivalry seems to be on the decline, but let’s hope that manners can remain important. I, for one, will certainly be an evangelist with it.
I spent lots of time on drama, music and art.
I’m the son of a doctor, and the key to working in the art world is to have boundaries of discretion.
Celebrity is not something I consciously pursue.
In Europe, there is a lower instance of startups because there’s a permanent fear of failure. Everyone fears failure because it is this permanent black mark against your name, whereas in the U.S., failure seems to be par for the course.
If I’m in the English countryside and get on my bicycle, I see what sort of strange inbred rural locals I can snap.
I remember being led to a shed by my father for the unveiling of a beautiful bicycle, equipped with stabilizers, on Christmas Day. I must have been four or five and realized that this was my first ride into independence.
I once termed my sense of dress as ‘urban farmer’ and that became a perennial source of bullying from my friends, particularly my brother.
Auctions typically are an opportunity for you to be able to acquire what you’re looking for at a lower price; typically, the auctioneer sets the opening price at much lower than the retail price and certain interest develops and as more people come in it drives the price up.
My brother and I have always had a great interest in people and building relationships. I probably have my parents to thank for that.
