LONDON.- Sotheby’s announced that Fru Tholstrup today joins the company as Director of its new London Sǀ2 gallery. As Sotheby’s extends its global Sǀ2 brand, Fru will oversee the running and strategy behind this new purpose-built space for private selling exhibitions of Contemporary Art in Mayfair. Her role will be to mastermind a series of dynamic and thought-provoking curated shows drawing on expertise from within Sotheby’s and beyond.

Fru joins Sǀ2 after 10 years at Haunch of Venison gallery, where, as Director, she specialised in client development, primary and secondary sales and acquired a heavyweight curatorial portfolio. In 2008, she was one of the founder Ambassadors of the Tate Young Patrons Group and was elected by the Tate committee to become a Patron Advocate Ambassador. In 2010 she co-curated the first Soho House Art Collection and in 2010, curated the Contemporary Art themed Elton John 11th Annual White Tie & Tiara Fundraiser. Fru has also curated and assisted with numerous charity auctions over the last 10 years for causes including Cancer Research UK and The Old Vic. She spent the first eight years of her career working at Sotheby’s in the Impressionist and Contemporary Art Departments. Fru will lead an Sǀ2 team which will include Charles Libeert, who joins as Sales Associate after three years at Bortolami and Valentina Salmeri, who has moved from Sotheby’s Private Client Group to take on the role of Gallery Assistant.

Fru Tholstrup commented: “I am so delighted to return to Sotheby’s and work alongside such a fantastically talented team. I have great plans for Sǀ2, in terms of both museum-quality selling exhibitions and high-profile curators, which I look forward to unveiling over the coming months. Certainly our clients can expect the unexpected.”

Cheyenne Westphal, Sotheby’s Chairman of Contemporary Art, Europe added: “With the rolling out of the Sǀ2 brand, Sotheby’s is entering a new era and Fru, with her enormous experience, creativity and energy is the perfect person to lead our new London gallery and we are delighted to welcome her back to Sotheby’s. The art market is now expanding exponentially and our clients are telling us they want to transact with us all year round and in new ways. Sǀ2 allows them to do so, with the added reassurance of Sotheby’s full art business infrastructure behind them.”

Sǀ2 opens on 10th October with its inaugural selling exhibition of rare early works by Joseph Beuys – 12 works on paper and an important sculpture from the years 1947-1966.