New Chairman of Asia for Phillips
By ArtAsiaPacific
Portrait of JONATHAN CROCKETT, the newly appointed chairman of Asia for Phillips. Courtesy Phillips.
On May 14, Phillips auction house announced that it had named Jonathan Crockett as the new chairman of Asia. Crockett was promoted from his position as head of 20th century and contemporary art and deputy chairman of Asia, a role that he has held since joining Phillips in May 2016.
After leading Phillips’ inaugural Hong Kong sale of art and design in November 2016 and six more sales since then, Crockett is credited with overseeing the expansion of Phillips’ team to eight cities in five years. He was also responsible for the consignment and sale of many notable works, including the painting 04.01.79 (1979) by Zao Wou-ki, which in May 2018 sold for HKD 69.9 million (USD 8.9 million), the highest price paid for a 1970s painting by the highly sought-after Chinese artist. On the global stage, he orchestrated the auction of Peter Doig’s Rosedale (1991), which sold for USD 29 million in May 2017 in New York.
Phillips’ auctions in Asia brought in HKD 955 million (USD 123.2 million) in 2019, an increase of 77 percent since 2016. Noting the importance of the Asian market to Phillips’ overall business, Phillips’ CEO, Edward Dolman, praised Crockett, saying he “worked closely with all our specialist departments to further strengthen our cross-category approach to highlight our auction offerings to a broad range of clients across the region.” In early April, Phillips launched a campaign to mark its upcoming fifth anniversary in the region.
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