Loic Gouzer
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikitia's general notability guideline. |
Loic Gouzer | |
|---|---|
| Add a Photo | |
| Born | June 23, 1980 Geneva |
| Occupation | Contemporary Art |
Loic Gouzer (born June 23, 1980) is a contemporary art specialist known for his curated sales apart from the traditional auction house calendar [11]. Until December 2018, Gouzer was the co-chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s [5]. In November 2017, Gouzer handled the sale of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi at Christie’s for $450.3 million, and it became the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction [4].
Career
Loic Gouzer was born in Geneva to parents Elka and Yves Gouzer, as the eldest of four siblings [11]. He began his art career with a small show at a gallery called Analix Forever in Geneva,where he showed a number of Chinese artists [11]. In 2001, Gouzer left for University College London, where he studied art history [11]. Upon graduation, Gouzer was hired by Sotheby’s at their London office [11].
In 2011, Gouzer went to rival auction house Christie’s, where he worked as a specialist in the postwar and contemporary art department [1]. At Christie’s, Gouzer became known for his creative curated sales [5]. In May 2014, Gouzer hosted Christie’s first curated auction, titled If I Live I’ll See You Tuesday [2]. The sales totaled $134.6 million, with 97% sold by lot and 99.5% sold by value [2]. The event was accompanied by a promotional video of professional skateboarder Chris Martin riding through Christie’s facilities [5]. Gouzer handled the sale of Richard Prince’s Spiritual America for its first time at auction [1].
In May 2015, Gouzer hosted another curated auction titled Looking Forward to the Past, with sales totaling $705.9 million and sell-through rates of 97% by lot and 99% by value [7]. Fifteen thousand visitors viewed the pre-sale exhibition at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries over the 10 days preceding the event and clients representing 35 different countries participated at auction [7]. Gouzer handled the $179.4 million sale of Picasso’s Les Femme d’Algers (Version “O”), 1955, which at the time was the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction [3]. Also setting a new record for a sculpture sold at auction, Alberto Giacometti’s L’home au doigt (Pointing Man), 1947, sold for $141.2 million [5]. After this success, Gouzer was promoted to Deputy Chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s [11]. Gouzer curated the auction Bound to Fail in May 2016 [8]. The sale set new world auction records for artists including Paola Pivi, Neil Jenney, Olivier Mosset, Daniel Buren, Rebecca Horn, John Armleder, Maurizio Cattelan. Records were also set for a sculpture by Richard Prince and a video by Bruce Nauman [8].
Salvator Mundi
At Christie’s November 2017 Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale, Gouzer made the unusual decision to include Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi in a contemporary art auction. The work sold for $450.3 million, becoming the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction [4]. The work was consigned by russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and purchased by an anonymous client of Alex Rotter, Gouzer’s co-chairman of Global Contemporary Art at Christie’s [4].
In November 2018, Gouzer handled the sale of David Hockney’s Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), 1972, at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art auction [10]. David Hockney became the most expensive living painter when the work sold for $90.3 million [10]. The total auction sales totaled $357.6 million [10]. Gouzer announced his departure from Christie’s in December 2018 [9].
Fair Warning
In June of 2020, Gouzer launched his proprietary mobile auction app, Fair Warning. Basquiat's Untitled (1982) sold on the app for $10.8 million, setting the record for the most expensive art work sold on an app.
Personal life
Gouzer enjoys traveling, surfing, and spearfishing. [1]. He owns a house in Montauk and rents a penthouse in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City [11].
Philanthropy
Gouzer is committed to environmental causes, sitting on the board of the nonprofit Oceana, an international organization dedicated to ocean conservation [1]. In 2013, Gouzer hosted a charity auction with Leonardo DiCaprio that raised $38.8 million for a number of conservation projects
References
External links
This article "Loic Gouzer" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.