One of Sotheby’s top dealmakers, Cheyenne Westphal, has been appointed the chairman of Phillips. Westphal, who left her position as worldwide head of contemporary art at Sotheby’s last month, is due to start at Phillips in 2017. Ed Dolman, the auction house’s chief executive and chairman, will relinquish the latter title when Westphal arrives.
Westphal, who joined Sotheby’s in 1990, has overseen every major contemporary art sale in Europe since 1999. Dubbed “Sotheby’s secret weapon” by Harper’s Bazaar, Westphal helped orchestrate the unprecedented 2008 Damien Hirst auction, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, which fetched £121m. She also won over Count Duerckheim to negotiate the sale of his collection of postwar German art in 2011, which raised a record £62m.
Dolman described his latest recruit as “regarded by many as the best in the business”, adding: “We are delighted that Cheyenne has agreed to join Phillips.”
Westphal said she is “thrilled” to join Phillips, which is “building a strong reputation as an exciting and forward-looking auction house”. She will oversee all aspects of the company’s business, working closely with Hugues Joffre, the chairman of UK and Europe and worldwide head of 20th-century art, and Jean-Paul Engelen, the worldwide head of contemporary art.
Her recruitment is part of a drive by Phillips to expand its contemporary art team. Other recent appointments in the department include Jonathan Horwich, who will become a senior director and specialist in 20th-century and contemporary art in London, and Blake Koh, who is joining as a senior vice president and the regional representative for the West Coast.
