Last week, as much of the art world was focused on the marquee sales in New York, Christie’s announced a major change to its leadership in London. The auction house appointed François-Henri Pinault as board chairman and non-executive director.
Pinault is the son of French billionaire François Pinault and the president of Groupe Artémis, the long-time parent company of Christie’s. Artémis is also the parent company of the Pinault Collection, the 10,000-work collection of the Pinault family, as well as several private museums: the Bourse de Commerce in Paris and the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice.
François-Henri Pinault is known for turning the elder Pinault’s Pinault-Printemps-Redoute into the luxury giant Kering, which owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Balenciaga, among other brands.
The elder Pinault purchased Christie’s in 1998 for $1.2 billion; he remains honorary chair at the company. Since 2023, the board chairman role has been held by Guillaume Cerutti, who served as CEO of the auction house from 2017 to 2025. After stepping down as CEO, Cerutti continued as board chairman, as well as president of the Pinault Collection. Earlier this year, Cerutti left his position at the collection. François Pinault is now listed as president of the collection.
Christie’s did not note Cerutti’s departure in its press release, nor has the former CEO, who is an active poster on various topics on LinkedIn. Cerutti’s LinkedIn profile lists his tenure as Christie’s chairman ending last month.
In a statement, François-Henri Pinault said, “It is a privilege to assume the role as Chairman of the Board of Christie’s. Our family’s long-standing association with this remarkable business has been a source of immense pride, and we look to the future with great enthusiasm. We remain deeply committed to preserving and continually strengthening the company’s core expertise: connecting exceptional art and objects with a global audience through passionate scholarship, connoisseurship, and expertise, while continuing to innovate and expand.”
One has to wonder what Shakespearean drama is playing out behind the scenes to lead to Cerutti’s ouster from all things Pinault.
