Have you been to an auction? Most likely, many of us have never attended such events. How is the day leading specialist in the largest auction house in the world? It is always interesting to look at public sales from within the company itself. Specialist Tash Perry provides us with an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the auction house.
World market leader
Tash Perry has been working as an auctioneer (the person who holds the auction) for 18 years at Christie’s, the largest auction house in the world. In addition to tendering, she is senior vice president and senior director of Trusts, Estates & Wealth Management Services at Christie's International. This means that Perry represents Christie's at conferences around the country (headquartered in London) and helps customers through major sales around the world. At auctions, various works of art, jewelry and luxury goods are sold annually.
Christie’s was founded in 1766 by antique dealer James Christie. All important transactions of the late eighteenth century were made in this auction house.
Today, the company’s chairman is French businessman François Pinault. Christie’s is a leader in the global art market: at the end of 2018, revenue amounted to approximately $ 7 billion! The company annually holds about 350 auctions and tenders, having almost 50 offices and trading floors in more than 30 countries around the world. One of Christie’s branches is located in Moscow.
Acquaintance
But back to the heroine of our article, Tash Perry. Is it a simple matter to hold auctions and where does her usual day begin?
Perry lives in New York, USA (Tribeca neighborhood, Manhattan). When Tash is in New York and she does not need to represent the company in other countries, she wakes up at 5:45. Why so early? Perry loves walking outdoors. She says: “I have a sports coach who comes to me a couple of times a week. Usually he arrives at 6:15 and I train with him for an hour. On days when the weather is nice, I can go with his dog Raidy or on his own for a run through the park near the Hudson River. "
A woman runs about three days a week. “I feel that this is a good way to keep fit. A morning walk helps me think correctly and focus on what I will do on that day, ”she said.
Perry lives in Tribeca, New York's richest neighborhood, but she also has a home in Toronto, Canada, where her husband lives and where she spends most of her weekends.
Regarding his pet, Tash says: “Raidy is my salvation. I was presented with it in 2009. Today she is almost 10 years old and she won’t leave home without taking anything into her mouth.”
Morning worries
By seven in the morning, Tash Perry returns home to have breakfast and check his email. She also talks with colleagues in London about choosing a client for Christie's auction.
Speaking about his habits, Tash explains: “I always have breakfast at home. I can’t imagine that I won’t eat anything before work.” What are Perry's food preferences? She replies: “Sometimes it is an egg, sometimes toast and peanut butter, and sometimes it can be granola and fruit that I prepared. After breakfast, I drink coffee, my favorite drink. I can also have coffee on the go or when I get to work. ”
Family
Perry also often uses morning time to talk on the phone with her husband, who lives mostly in his home in Toronto, while Tash herself lives in New York.The woman explains: “My husband has to travel a lot for his work. He spends a lot of time in Europe, so in the morning, as a rule, it's time for us to talk. This is a good time, because my husband knows that I am not yet in the office, and therefore we can discuss a lot. ”
Way to work
To get to the company’s office, at about 8 a.m. Tash takes the subway to the Rockefeller Center. This is approximately a 25 minute drive. According to Perry, the trains are usually not too crowded if she leaves early enough. “What time I get to the office depends on whether we will meet in the morning, whether we are at a conference or something like that, but in general I come there somewhere between 8 and 9,” Perry said.
Beginning of work
Today, the auction at Perry is scheduled for 11 hours, but the woman still needs to meet with the design team. Tash will host the Christie's Design auction, which includes mirrors, chairs, lamps, tables, sculptures and other works from the beginning of the 20th century to the modern era. In order to organize everything well, she needs to meet with the design team at 9:30.
What is being discussed at such a meeting? This meeting reviews and discusses what interests people in objects at the auction and how to prepare them for sale.
Tash says, “Do you think my job is to go into the room, sell and leave?” No, it's not that simple. The key to the success of any enterprise is teamwork, and we work together to achieve the goal. ”
During the discussion, Tash drinks his second coffee of the day.
Auction
According to Perry, there are many different aspects that an auctioneer needs to consider when conducting a public sale of any thing: “I often say that holding an auction is like being the conductor of an orchestra. You understand that many are interested in painting or jewelry, and you must make informed decisions. You are fully responsible for any questions and proceedings, for what is happening in the hall at this time. "
A typical sale lasts from one to three hours, although sometimes the process can last much longer, but there are no interruptions. “When you're in the room, all the other details fall into the background,” Perry says. “You will be there until you sell everything.” So you don’t necessarily get a break. ”
According to Perry, when it comes time to sell a particularly expensive object at auction, you can feel the tension in the crowd: "As if you hear a fly falling in the hall." Today, the main event of the Perry auction was the sale of a dresser by French designers Eugene Prince and Jean Dunant. He managed to sell for almost $ 5.5 million after a "protracted war between three bidders." An expensive object was made of palm tree, copper, brass and sycamore. Interestingly, the subject was valued at only $ 300-500 thousand.
Resourcefulness
According to Perry, being an auctioneer means being resourceful. She states: “The obligation to conduct tenders prompts you to closely follow the numbers and even in a sense be a showman, that is, energetic and clever. The sale should attract and bring customers pleasure.”
Today's auction dragged on, so Tash missed the dinner with the client and rescheduled the meeting for the evening.
Usually, a specialist at a major auction house dines with a slice of fried salmon and a salad consisting mainly of greens.
Training others
At two in the afternoon, Tash helps his colleagues become auctioneers. After her design auction, she conducts training for Christie's employees. Teaching others, the manager pays special attention to gestures and movements of the hands: "It is much better to skillfully use the look, facial expressions, gestures, encouraging others to actively participate in the auction, and not stand with a strict look."
After the training, Tash attends another meeting. This time she is waiting for a meeting of employees in the office of the chairman of the real estate department, as well as a meeting in the department of decorative art.
The end of the day
A woman leaves the office at about 19:30, but she does not go home: first she needs to see the client with whom she had an appointment at lunch time. After a while, she has dinner with her friends.
Only around 10 p.m. Tash Perry arrives home. Sure, Rydy is very much waiting for her mistress. After a conversation at 11 pm with her husband, who is on a business trip in Australia, the auctioneer goes to bed: the day turned out to be very busy.
