Former Barnes Foundation president begins Christie’s job

Derek Gillman

Christie’s New York has appointed Derek Gillman to the new role of chairman, Impressionist & Modern Art, SVP, The Americas.

The former executive director and president of the Barnes Foundation is based in New York and will work very closely with Giovanna Bertazzoni, international head of Impressionist & Modern Art and Brooke Lampley, international director, Impressionist & Modern Art, and their team of specialists.

Gillman has been tasked with nurturing client relationships and supporting business strategy around the world for the department.  In this role, he will report directly to Marc Porter, chairman, Christie’s Americas.

Gillman has previously overseen distinguished collections of 19th and 20th century art on three continents, beginning in 1985 with the representation of Giacometti, Bacon and Moore at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.

Most recently, from 2006-2013, he stewarded the Barnes Foundation’s holdings of Cézanne, Renoir, van Gogh, Seurat, early Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani and Soutine to a new home in central Philadelphia.

“Derek has an unbelievably strong global network of art collectors that he has cultivated during his extensive and distinguished career in the art world.” said Marc Porter, chairman, Christie’s Americas.  “Those relationships, coupled with his knowledge about the Impressionist & Modern fields, will be a tremendous asset to the global Impressionist & Modern team at Christie’s.  We are thrilled to have him join us.”

“I’ve been privileged in my career to contribute to public institutions in a leadership role in England, Australia and the U.S., and also to have worked on five significant building projects.  The capstone of my public career was the unique opportunity to be part of the renewal of the Barnes Foundation, which made Albert Barnes’ unparalleled collection of impressionist and modern art much more accessible to the public.” said Gillman.  “The idea of now moving from public service to Christie’s, where I started my career over 30 years ago, and doing something different, is both stimulating and exciting.  I very much look forward to this new chapter.”