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About François Curiel
With forty years of experience at Christie’s, François Curiel, President, Asia for Christie’s auction house, has made immeasurable contributions to Christie’s and the art and jewellery field to enable the company to become the world’s leading art business of today.
After graduating from the Gemological Institute in Paris, he began his career at Christie’s as a jewellery specialist in London in 1969. After working in Madrid, Paris and Geneva, he moved to New York in 1977 to launch jewellery sales there. For 12 years, he directed the US department and organized some of its most celebrated auctions, including those of
the collections of Florence Gould, Nelson Rockefeller, Gloria Swanson and Joan Crawford, amongst many others.
In 1989, he was promoted to worldwide Head of Jewellery, one of the highest performing departments in the Group. Under his leadership, Christie’s jewellery department has become the market leader in this field since 1994. He was also responsible for the sales of the collections of Sir Sultan Mohamed Aga Khan III (1988, US$3.3 million), Mrs. James A. de Rothschild (1989, US$7.7 million), Doris Duke (2004, US$12 million), Ellen
Barkin (2006, US$20 million), Princess Margaret (2006: US$17 million), a Royal House (2006: US$46 million), Princess Maria Gabriella di Savoia (2007: US$3.3 million), Princess Henckel von Donnersmarck (2007: US$4.1 million)]. In 2007, he sold for a record US$7 million the Baroda pearl necklace.
In 2001, he became Chairman of Christie’s France, launching a vast program of auctions in Paris and successfully positioned Christie’s as a leader since the auction market was deregulated.
More recently in Hong Kong in May 2008, he conducted the largest various owner jewellery auction ever held in the world totaling US$60 million, while in the Autumn of 2009, he conducted the auction for The Vivid Pink, the largest Fancy Vivid Pink Potentially Flawless diamond ever offered for sale at auction, and which sold for US$10.8 million - a record for a pink diamond at auction. The per carat price of US$2.1 million also stands as the new auction record price per carat for any gemstone at auction.
François Curiel is fluent in English and Spanish, in addition to his native French. He studied Law before pursuing his career in jewellery, holds a degree in Philosophy and another one from the Gemological Institute in France. In 1996, he was awarded the prestigious Antwerp Diamond Career Award from the High Diamond Council in Belgium, a distinction given to fewer than ten international personalities.
In 2000, he was appointed Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, France’s most prestigious decoration, and in 2001, he became a member of the French Market Auction Authority, the regulatory body that oversees the auction system in France. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
François Curiel was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, in 1948.
François Curiel's posts:
03-Sep 11:05
Twelve Views of a Sunflower Field IX, Xu Jiang
I’m travelling to Beijing again this week – this time to speak in a press conference at the Ministry of Culture on the 2nd of September where an exciting exhibition of contemporary art will be announced. Indeed we are collaborating with The Center of International Culture Exchange (or “CICE” [...]
24-Aug 11:06
After two restful weeks on vacation in Europe, I now find myself back at home in Hong Kong. This year my summer holiday brought me first to Switzerland, and then on to Normandy in northern France – to Pont L’Eveque to be precise, a small town aptly named for a famous cheese that has been [...]
05-Aug 11:00
I’m sure you saw the news recently that China has renewed Google’s license to operate in the country – a move that indeed reflects Beijing’s desire to be seen as friendly to foreign firms.
It would be an understatement to say that a significant amount of my time is devoted to thinking about China and how [...]
27-Jul 11:09
It’s not news that so much of today’s business takes place virtually….It’s blessing and curse, but that’s a best left aside for now. Emails come in, responses get sent, and just like that, things can often get done with a few clicks of the mouse. So these days, it is quite refreshing to have the [...]
22-Jul 09:34
I’ve spent more than half of my professional life away from Paris, and while I feel French through and through (and since you can’t tell by my writing, if we are to ever meet you’d also say I very much sound French through and though), I am just as much at ease in New York, [...]
14-Jul 10:16
It’s not auction time, so those not familiar with the art and auction industry will probably be surprised when I say that Christie’s Hong Kong is absolutely buzzing at the moment. I wouldn’t blame you if you thought that the summer would be quiet for us here at Alexandra House - after all, we finished [...]
07-Jul 09:52
It’s funny how leaving a place – even for a week or two – makes you realize it’s home. As an expert expat of sorts – since the age of 20 I’ve lived in London, Paris, Madrid, Geneva, and New York – I’ve come to recognize the signs of truly “settling in” to a new [...]
29-Jun 09:37
As jewellery “’chief’ at Christie’s, I am often asked how the tastes and trends differ among our clients in different regions. Very generally speaking, in Europe and America we see clients preferring vintage jewellery, along with larger, more extravagant pieces. The Asian market, on the other hand, tends to favour exquisite but rather discreet jewels [...]
24-Jun 10:02
Kashmir sapphire (49.61 cts) and diamond bracelet , circa 1960, by Cartier, which sold for: HK$ 53,860,000, a world auction record for any bracelet at the Christie’s Hong Kong Jewels Sale
Since starting this blog, I’ve “spoken” to you about Chinese contemporary art, wine, watches….all of which I love and enjoy. But my true passion, of [...]
18-Jun 10:39
China has had a long fascination with timepieces – in fact, the Kangxi (r.1662-1722) and Qianlong (r.1736-1795) emperors were enthusiastic collectors of European clocks and watches, which were often presented as tribute gifts by envoys. To give you a sense of just how enthusiastic they were: an 18th-century Jesuit priest, Valentin Chalier, writing at the [...]
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