Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares Collection

Paul Gallois, Head of European Furniture, EMEA, joined Christie’s in 2013. Trained by renowned furniture expert and author Alexandre Pradère, he began his career as a European Decorative Arts specialist in New York before moving to London, where he led the department for more than a decade. This international experience has given him a broad and informed perspective on the market.

Now based in Paris, he oversees the European Furniture and Works of Art sales across EMEA, working closely with the international Decorative Arts team, with a strong focus on connoisseurship and research into European furniture masterpieces. With deep expertise in French and Continental furniture, he advises many of the world’s leading collectors and has made significant discoveries that have furthered scholarship in this area.

Among his notable discoveries is a bureau de pente by Jacques Dubois delivered to Madame de Pompadour, sold in 2018 for £1,871,250. He led the landmark Masterpieces from a Rothschild Collection sale in 2019 (£25,394,625) and subsequently contributed as lead specialist for the Hubert de Givenchy collection in 2022 (€114,400,000) and the Rothschild sales in New York in 2024 ($43,237,900).

Paul holds a Law degree from Panthéon-Assas University and a History of Art degree from the Sorbonne.

Pierre joined Christie’s in 2018 as International Director of the Old Master Paintings department, bringing with him 30 years of experience. After completing his studies in economics, art and communications, Pierre gained internationally recognised expertise at the renowned Cabinet Turquin. His research and publications have made him a leading expert on 17th and 18th century painting.

As Deputy Chairman of Christie’s France, Pierre embodies Christie’s scientific, historical and technical excellence. The world’s greatest private and institutional collections entrust him with the acquisition or sale of their works: in 2021, a sale of paintings from the Marcille Collection enabled Pierre to achieve a record price for a genre painting by Jean-Siméon Chardin. In 2023, he achieved spectacular world records: in New York for a painting by Gerrit Dou at the Rothschild Masterpieces auction ($7.1 million); or in London for a work by Michael Sweerts that had never before appeared on the market(£12.6 million). Pierre’s greatest passion is rescueing masterpieces from indifference and oblivion and bringing them back into the spotlight. The 2024 auction in London of a Guilty Punchinello by Giambattista Tiepolo (£2.5 million) is a perfect illustration of his talent for discovery: this work, which was unknown for more than 150 years, is now part of the collections of the Musée du Louvre.

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Fort de 30 années d’expérience, Pierre rejoint Christie's en 2018 en tant que directeur international du département de peinture ancienne. À l’issue d’une formation en économie, en art et en communication, Pierre se forge une expertise internationalement reconnue auprès du célèbre cabinet Turquin. Ses recherches et ses publications, en font un expert incontournable pour la peinture française des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles.

En tant que Vice-président de Christie’s France, Pierre incarne l’excellence scientifique, historique et technique de Christie’s. Les plus grandes collections du monde, privées ou institutionnelles, lui font confiance pour l’achat ou la vente de leurs œuvres. Ainsi, une vacation de tableaux de la collection Marcille permet à Pierre de réaliser un record pour une peinture de genre de Jean-Siméon Chardin dès 2021. En 2023, de spectaculaires records mondiaux sont à mettre à son actif ; à New York pour une toile de Gerrit Dou lors de la vente Rothschild Masterpieces (7,1M$), ou à Londres, pour une œuvre de Michael Sweerts totalement inédite sur le marché (12,6M£). Faire sortir des chefs-d’œuvre de l’indifférence et de l’oubli, pour les ramener à la lumière, est la plus grande passion de Pierre. En 2024, la vente à Londres, d’un Polichinelle coupable de Giambattista Tiepolo (2,5M£) illustre à merveille ses talents de découvreur : inconnue depuis plus de 150 ans, l’œuvre figure désormais dans les collections du Musée du Louvre.