The NY Times recently ran an article on four your specialist at Christies. The article gives good insight into starting life at a major auction house. The article states that positions at Christies start at around $20,000 a year, and go up to $50,000 per year for a mid level specialist. Very little when compared to other careers in NY. The four young ladies have so far survived the recent cuts in jobs at Chrisite's, but given the economic climate, the future is still a bit uncertain. The article does state the number of appraisals for sales the specialist are performing has fallen, meaning with lower market values, collectors are more reluctant, unless forced to do so, to place items for sale.The article states Working in the auction houses has always been a particular New York experience, a sorority of client-advisers and appraisers who spend weekends flying to Palm Beach or the Caribbean hoping to land a big account — and, some of them concede, perhaps a husband — but whose paychecks put them close to the poverty line. Without financial support from their families, many would be unable to have such jobs — and, with them, entree to a rarefied social sphere and up-close contact with incredible works of art.
“It’s not that wealth is inherently interesting,” said Ingrid Dudek, a 32-year-old specialist in Asian contemporary art at Christie’s who recently spent a week in St.-Tropez, most of it holed up at a client’s house, appraising millions of dollars worth of objects. “You get to do projects, see collections you never thought you’d ever see. You get a little giddy.”
But now even those excursions are becoming rare as collectors have become less willing to sell in a market that might offer them only bargain prices for their artwork.
Ms. Lampley said the number of appraisals for upcoming sales among Impressionist collectors had fallen, meaning she was seeing fewer personal collections — previously a big perk of the job.The article has some interesting points, click HERE to read.
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