Christie’s executive Max Carter has been announced as the auction house’s chairman for 20th and 21st Century art for the Americas.
“Christie’s is so special. The team is so special,” he told ARTnews, calling the appointment “an honor and very humbling to carry it forward.
Carter has overseen several notable top collection consignments at the auction house, including those of works held by Anne Bass, Paul Allen, S.I. Newhouse, and Mica Ertegun, as well as several record-shattering prices for artists like Ed Ruscha and Henri Rousseau.
He also recently secured the collection of Robert F. Weis and Patricia G. Ross Weis, as well as 20 works from the collection of top collector and casino magnate Elaine Wynn, for Christie’s marquee November sales in New York.
“It’s always nice to start new adventures when you have the wind at your back and you’ve got good stuff to show,” he told ARTnews.
The Canadian-American writer and art specialist joined the auction house in 2007, and led the Impressionist and modern art in the Americas department between 2017 and 2022.
“Passion, expertise, and creativity are our greatest strengths at Christie’s, and Max exemplifies all of them,” Christie’s global president Alex Rotter said in a press statement. “Max is a highly respected colleague, a trusted advisor, and a savvy deal maker. His experience in and understanding of the global art market will inform our strategy, in the saleroom and across private sales. With the support of our outstanding, well-established, respected senior team, the Americas is in the best hands.”
Carter will report to Christie’s global president. In addition to his senior roles at Christie’s, Carter frequently writers about modern art for the Wall Street Journal, Air Mail, and many other publications.
The new Christie’s chairman said he received some advice on the new role from his father, former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, on “how important the people around you are, both in terms of turning out the best product, but just also in terms of the culture and how people treat and work with each other. Those are things that happen to already be great at Christie’s, but they’re things that you can’t take for granted, that you need to really cherish and value.”
