JONATHAN CROCKETT

CHAIRMAN, ASIA, AND HEAD OF 20TH CENTURY & CONTEMPORARY ART, ASIA, PHILLIPS

Since joining the company in 2016, Jonathan Crockett has spearheaded Phillips’ growth, establishing its regional headquarters in Hong Kong, as well as expanding the company across Asia. In 2020, Phillips’ auction sales in Asia totalled US$152 million, marking the highest takings in the company’s history in the region. This year, Philips’ Hong Kong sales for 20th century and contemporary art achieved double “white glove” status—a term used to describe the rare occurrence of 100 per cent of the lots offered in an auction being sold—for a record total of US$90 million.

Crockett has overseen major sales, a number of which have set important world auction records; most recently, the sale of Yoshitomo Nara’s Missing

in Action, which was the most expensive lot sold at Phillips globally in the first half of 2021, fetching US$16 million. Other notable highlights include consigning Peter Doig’s Rosedale, which sold for US$29 million, setting a world record for any living British artist.

“Nothing beats those exciting, high-octane moments in an evening auction, particularly when two determined bidders go head-to-head and decide that they must win a lot at whatever cost,” he says. “Fireworks happen, with people sometimes jumping multiple bid increments. It’s something that always gets the adrenaline pumping.”