Lord Hindlip

As a avid reader of the New York Times coverage of the antiques and art market throughout the 1980s and 1990s mainly through the reports of Rita Reif and other, and then continuing to the present, revisiting the great highlights of those sales reports in Charles Hindlips chronicles can be a delightful read. Many of the works lavishly illustrated are familiar, and encountered again in museums and special exhibitions. Just this year at least one of the major works here was shown in the Getty’s Holbein show.

But most of the narration seems lifted from the Christie’s annuals, highlighting each season’s record-breaking sales (and too infrequently the misses). It is nice for Hindlip to casually recognize all the works he admires, but there is infrequently much insight into the works themselves. Hindlip does constantly recognize—if not directly—how the status of his family, education, social connections and membership in the House of Lords may be his greatest asset to access the clients and works needed to make Christies successful.

It soon becomes apparent, the author would never say anything to cast any shade on his former employer or their clients, so the inside workings of Christie’s are almost entirely ignored. Hence the well known price-fixing scandal of the 1990s is covered in less than half a page.

I attended one Christie’s house sale in the early 1980s, and in that one sale together the paintings (sent to New York showroom) and furniture sold for over $9 million (today $32 million) provided more insight into the business than most of this book reveals. First, during a pre-sale viewing, when we inquired where the lot with the porcelain teapot could be viewed, after some delay we were told it was not available for viewing since some Christie’s employees had removed it the evening before to use for martinis, as they were overnighting in rooms in the mansion. After the sale, upon inquiry why much of the furniture sold ten times above estimates, we were told that the Mafioso were laundering money and the furniture would be shipped to Italy. Finally, those paintings sold in the New York showroom, were all revealed a decade later to be fakes! That all from one sale!… (meer)