Andrea Fiuczynski and Joshua Holdeman
“IN OUR BUSINESS, you get a kind of diplomatic passport into all these different groups of highly private people,” says Joshua Holdeman, international director of postwar and contemporary art for the illustrious Christie’s auction house. He’s referring to an exclusive perk that comes with the position he holds as one of the senior members of Christie’s West Coast team. Holdeman splits his time between the company’s New York office and LA, where his boss, Andrea Fiuczynski—president of Christie’s Los Angeles—is headquartered, but he can often be found jetting to London and Hong Kong on behalf of the famed auction house.
While Holdeman’s main job is traversing tony neighborhoods appraising precious works ranging from Midcentury Modern art and design pieces to Impressionist and postwar contemporary collections, Fiuczynski’s role focuses on “business-getting” from the LA region for Christie’s international auctions in London, Paris, Hong Kong and elsewhere. “I am the point person, team leader and Christie’s ambassador for local clients while representing the company nationally and internationally,” says Fiuczynski.
In this capacity, Fiuczynski—the only woman and only American on Christie’s 15-person team of auctioneers—has handled everything from whole estates to specific single categories. She even oversaw the sale of the entire Star Trek collection, which coincided with the franchise’s 40th anniversary. Plus, she and her West Coast colleagues have occasionally hosted preview exhibitions and other sales events in their Beverly Hills gallery.
Though the 30-year history of Christie’s LA may seem brief in the larger context of the British auction house’s 18th-century roots, it’s certainly pulling its weight. Last year the branch introduced more than $100 million worth of business. “It’s a testimony to this region’s strength,” says Fiuczynski, noting that the impressive sum was accrued in a down economy. Indeed, thanks to the contributions of Holdeman and Fiuczynski, it looks like Christie’s has a prosperous enterprise planted firmly across the pond.
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