LONDON.- Phillips announced the appointment of Miety Heiden as Deputy Chairman and Head of Private Sales.

Ms. Heiden was most recently at Sotheby’s, where she was a Senior Vice President and Head of Contemporary Private Sales for North America. At Phillips, she will play a key role in developing the auction house’s private sales and business development efforts, along with managing relationships with many of the world’s top collectors.

Phillips’ private sales have been increasing in recent years. In May 2016, Phillips privately sold Diego Rivera’s Baile en Tehuantepec for $15.75 million, setting a new world record for any work of Latin American Art. And Phillips recently hosted a Gerhard Richter Abstracts private selling exhibition, which was the highest-value selling exhibition ever hosted by the company, with a combined total value of about $100 million.

"Private sales are an increasingly important part of our strategy and I am delighted that Miety is joining our team to lead our efforts in this important area,” said Edward Dolman, Chief Executive Officer. “With 20 years of experience in the art market, Miety is uniquely suited to take on an important leadership role at our company. Combined with her experience and exceptional track record serving clients and collectors, her business acumen perfectly complements our exceptional team of specialists across the globe.”

Along with her leadership role in private sales at Sotheby’s, Ms. Heiden contributed to business development and managed client relationships for the New York and Hong Kong contemporary art evening and day sales, as well as focusing on emerging markets and the West Coast of the United States. She was a consultant to the Chinese contemporary art department and was previously head of the modern and contemporary art department in Amsterdam. In addition, Ms. Heiden created Sotheby’s S2 Gallery, an art gallery with locations in New York, London and Hong Kong. During her time leading S2, the gallery organized very successful selling exhibitions dedicated to artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alexander Calder and Yoshitomo Nara.