HONG KONG.- Phillips announced the appointment of Jonathan Crockett as Chairman of Asia, reflecting the region’s preeminent role in the company’s overall growth strategy.
Since joining Phillips in May 2016, Mr. Crockett has been instrumental in spearheading the company’s growth and business development across Asia. He helped establish Phillips’ regional headquarters in Hong Kong, and has overseen the rapid expansion of a team across 8 major cities over the course of the past 5 years. To date he has supervised 7 highly successful series of sales in Hong Kong, with each season seeing record results being set. In 2019, Phillips’ total auction sales in Asia amounted to an outstanding HK $955 million, an increase of 77% since 2016, when Mr. Crockett joined as Deputy Chairman of Asia, marking the highest total in the company’s history in the region.
“We have witnessed the extraordinary growth of Asia in recent years, both in terms of the success of our Hong Kong sales and significant increase in Asia’s contribution to our global sales,” said Edward Dolman, Chief Executive Officer. “Jonathan has worked closely with all our specialist departments to further strengthen our cross-category approach to highlight our auction offerings to a broad range of clients across the region. In his new role, he will partner with Phillips senior executives across all regions to build our sales and global presence, and continue to further develop the company’s overall growth strategy for Asia. As we celebrate our 5th year anniversary in the region, we look forward to building on our solid foundation by continuing the next phase of our sustained growth.”
As Chairman of Asia, Mr. Crockett will continue working with Phillips’ top clients across the regions, partnering with specialists and the company’s strong regional network of representatives to maximise business opportunities across collecting categories. In addition, he will lead the auction house to further develop its brand presence in the region by fostering deep relationships with art collectors, institutions, artists and strategic partnerships throughout Asia.
Among his major accomplishments so far at Phillips, Mr. Crockett oversaw the consignment and sale of 04.01.79 by Zao Wou-ki, which in May 2018 realized HK$ 69.9 million (US$ 8.9 million), the top price ever paid for a Zao Wou-Ki work from the 1970s. He has also contributed significantly to Phillips’ global sales, a notable highlight was consigning Peter Doig’s Rosedale, which sold for US$ 29 million, setting a world record for any living British artist. Another notable achievement was initiating his strategy for the 20th Century & Contemporary Art department in Asia, which has seen the region’s transactional activity grow by 195% from 2016 to 2019.
