NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Loic Gouzer has been newly appointed as Co-Chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Americas, joining Co-Chairman, Alex Rotter, who commenced his position at Christie’s in March 2017. In their roles, they will focus on senior business-getting, working closely with key members of the team to expand Christie’s services to collectors and further its scope of market coverage. Loic and Alex previously worked together at Sotheby’s, where they formed a strong working relationship and often operated as a team. Now, working with the established, market-leading team of Post-War and Contemporary specialists at Christie’s, this joint leadership structure marks an exciting next chapter in the evolution of the department.

During his six years with Christie’s, Gouzer has been a key member of the global Post-War and Contemporary team, playing an integral role in its international business-getting and helping to achieve top prices for some of the category’s most formidable artists. Gouzer pioneered Christie’s series of highly successful curated auctions, which commenced with the “If I Live...” sale, in May 2014. He later spearheaded Christie’s “Looking Forward to the Past” sale, which totaled $705.8 million, and realized world auction records for both the most expensive painting and sculpture ever sold at auction. Most recently, Gouzer oversaw the May 2016 auction, “Bound to Fail,” which achieved 10 artist records, including one set by Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial sculpture, Him. Gouzer has also been instrumental in driving markets for artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Martin Kippenberger, Yves Klein and Raymond Pettibon. In 2013, Gouzer oversaw the 11th Hour Auction for charity which raised $38.8 million for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, making it the most important wildlife charity auction ever staged.

As previously announced, Mr. Rotter comes to Christie’s with an exceptional track record of leadership in the Post-war and Contemporary art market. From 2013-2016, he was the Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s, where he spent 16 years of his career. During his tenure there, Rotter oversaw the rise in global contemporary sales and led the launch of S|2, the auction house's private sales exhibition space, in 2011. Over the last decade, Rotter has been responsible for driving world auction records for artists including Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Cy Twombly, Christopher Wool and Sigmar Polke and has brought a range of leading estates to auction, including The Collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon and The Schlumberger Collection.

The strength of the May 2017 auctions of Post-War and Contemporary Art is a testament to their collaboration and the scope of their client relationships across the category. Together with team members, Laura Paulson, Francis Outred, Barrett White, Mariolina Bassetti, Andy Massad, Sara Friedlander and Koji Inoue, they have assembled a sale with exceptional private collections and masterpiece quality works that are appearing at auction for the first time.