AMSTERDAM.- From October 2016 Christie’s Amsterdam will be headed by Christie’s veteran and Dutch figurehead of the international auction market Arno Verkade. Arno Verkade, Auctioneer and Specialist for Post-War and Contemporary Art, joined Christie’s Amsterdam in 1993 and led the Post-War and Contemporary Art Department for nearly 10 years, before transferring to Christie’s headquarters in London in 2011 to become the head of the prestigious Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auctions. In 2013 the Haarlem born art historian was promoted to Managing Director Christie’s Germany and will now lead Christie’s business in the two neighboring countries, the Netherlands and Germany. Arno’s specialist expertise spans from works by Zero artists such as Günther Uecker, Heinz Mack and Jan Schoonhoven, to Martin Kippenberger, to young contemporary artists such as German artist and curator of this year’s Manifesta Christian Jankowski, who made Arno the focus of his performance “Strip the auctioneer”, which was staged at Christie’s Amsterdam in 2009. Arno will be supported by Chairwoman Jetske Homan van der Heide and General Manager Susann Koning to further the development of Christie’s in the Netherlands.

The new leadership team introduces the popular after-work program Christie’s Lates, which successfully launched at Christie’s South Kensington in March 2015, to Amsterdam. At Christie’s Amster-dam’s Late, Food for Thought, anyone can drop in to Cornelis Schuytstraat 57 between 6.00-8:30 pm for an evening dedicated to the philosophies of art and food, to hear experts talk about art and collecting, enjoy tastings and see what happens behind the scenes of the auction house, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. On view is the preview of Christie’s upcoming Amsterdam sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art with works from Anselm Kiefer, Marcel Broodthaers, Michaël Borremans and Günther Förg, just to name a few, as well as highlights from the Paris Comics sale with works from authors Hergé (Tintin), Uderzo (Asterix), Edgar P. Jacobs (Blake & Mortimer) and Jean Pierre Gibrat (Le Sursis), who is present in Amsterdam to take the public through his work. Tastings are led by Clara de Nijs of Clara's Champagnes and Wouter Leeuwenburg of Brandt & Levie.

On view: Post-War and Contemporary Art, Christie’s Amsterdam, 1 & 2 November 2016
Christie’s Amsterdam’s Post-War and Contemporary sales have been going from strength to strength, with average sell through rates of 90%. The upcoming sales feature a strong selection of European post-war and contemporary artists, including a colourful variety by the CoBrA masters, and elegant and understated pieces from the Dutch and German Zero artists. The evening auction will be led by Wege (Ways), a powerful and imposing early work by Anselm Kiefer. Other highlights of the sale include a fascinating snapshot of contemporary painting, with an enigmatic, haunting work by Michaël Borremans, a piece made of caviar and resin from artist Georg Herold, and a self-portrait in writing from Rémy Zaugg. Also on offer is an exceptional, near-complete set of graphic editions made by Marcel Broodthaers, as well as unique works, books and a film. The Belgian artist is currently the subject of a major retrospective travelling between New York, Madrid and Düsseldorf.

On view: Comics, Christie’s Paris, 19 November 2016
On Saturday 19 November, Christie’s Paris and Daniel Maghen will offer their second ‘Comics & Illustrations’ auction of the year. 40 highlights will be on view in Amsterdam, comprising an important selection of great European comic masters such as Hergé, with a fantastic 1930 double page from Quick and Flupke (estimate: €90,000-100,000), Hergé’s first series published between 1930 and 1969; and a sketch for the 1957 calendar of Le Journal de Tintin featuring the 12 main characters of The Adventures of Tintin dancing a sarabande (estimate: €110,000-120,000). The creators of celebrated heroes like Astérix, Blake & Mortimer, Corto Maltese, Spirou and Fantasio, the Smurfs and Blueberry will also be exhibited during the tour. Finally, modern authors will be present, including Moebius, Bilal, Vance, Rosinski, Guarnido and Loisel. A special section of the sale and preview exhibition will focus on the comic author Jean-Pierre Gibrat. This is the first time that Christie’s Paris will devote an auction catalogue to a contemporary artist. 17 full comic pages and original drawings chart the career of this master of the 9th art