Modern British and Irish Art

Christie's has been the market leader for Modern British and Irish Art since 2008. Presented as part of Christie’s flagship 20th/21st Century sale series, we also offer important single-owner collection sales and private selling exhibitions of Modern British and Irish Art throughout the year.

Reflecting the international appeal of this period, our auctions showcase paintings, sculpture, works on paper and studio ceramics by some of the leading British, Scottish and Irish artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

With over 200 years of combined experience, we have the most knowledgeable Modern British and Irish Art team in the market. We hold world record prices for many of the most prominent artists in the field including Henry Moore, Dame Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Sir Stanley Spencer, L.S. Lowry, Bridget Riley, Pauline Boty, Sir John Lavery, Peter Lanyon and David Bomberg.

For a free and confidential valuation, or to simply discuss the market, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

A painting depicting a bustling industrial town with numerous people walking across a large open space, flanked by dark buildings.

Upcoming auctions

VIEW PAST AUCTIONS

21 Oct
Live
Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale
London
22 Oct
Live
Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale
London

21 Oct

Live

Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale

London

22 Oct

Live

Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale

London

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Contact us

From free valuations to market advice, our specialists are here to answer your questions.

Nicholas Orchard
Head of Department
London
Call+44 (0)20 7389 2548
E-mailnorchard@christies.com
Nicholas joined Christie's in 1992 and trained as a general valuer, based in London, South Kensington. In the mid-1990s he moved to the Chairman's office to work on house and collection sales, overseeing the two largest house sales carried out by Christie's in Spain and Switzerland in 1998 and 1999. In 2001 Nick was asked to lead Christie's Estates, Appraisals and Valuations departments across Europe with offices in the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands. During this time his team greatly expanded the valuation activities for Christie's across Europe, Middle East, Russia and India. In 2009 Christie's identified a need to provide greater services to corporate clients and Nicholas was appointed to lead this group alongside his existing responsibilities. In January 2013 he joined the Modern British Art department as a senior director, whilst still maintaining his focus on corporate art collections. Nick has been an auctioneer for Christie's since the late 1990s and regularly takes auctions in London and Italy.
Alice Murray
Head of Evening Sale
London
Call+44 (0)20 7389 2423
E-mailamurray@christies.com
As Head of Evening sale, Alice advises clients on buying and selling 20th century British and Irish Art at auction and private sale. Alongside her expertise in British Modernism, studio ceramics, Post-War British art and the work of Stanley Spencer, Alice is particularly passionate about promoting the work of female and under-represented artists.

Alice joined Christie's in 2011, and has since been involved in several notable auction sales including: the Noël Coward sale (2015), the Brian Sewell collection (2016), the record-breaking Defining British Art sale (2016), The Collection of Sir Nicholas Goodison (2022) and in leading the launch of the first online auctions for Modern British and Irish Art (2016).

During her tenure as Head of the Modern British & Irish Art Day Sale, Christie's achieve the highest grossing total for the category (October 2021). Prior to this, Alice was Head of the Modern British & Irish Art sale at South Kensington (2016-2017); the Modern British and Impressionist and Modern Art Online and Mid-Season Sales (2016-2019); and the perennially successful Picasso Ceramics sales (2017-2019).

Alice also speaks French and Spanish, holding a First Class Honours Languages degree with Distinction from Edinburgh University.
Pippa Jacomb
Director, Head of Day Sale
London
Call+44 (0) 20 7389 2293
E-mailpjacomb@christies.com
Pippa is a Director of the Modern British and Irish Art department, and since joining in 2005 has played a significant role in establishing Christie’s leading position and development of the Modem British and Irish Art market. As Head of the Day sales, Pippa has been responsible for driving their success, both by strengthening the markets for established artists, as well as providing a platform for many important overlooked artists. Recent auction records include works by Ronald Moody, Vanessa Bell, Celia Paul and Adrian Heath.

Pippa has had a pivotal role in the consignment of record-breaking works by John Minton, Stanley Spencer and Richard Hamilton. Pippa’s particular interests include the work of Gaudier-Brzeska, Edward Wadsworth and the Vorticists, as well as post-war British sculptors Lynn Chadwick, Eduardo Paolozzi and Geoffrey Clarke. She holds a Masters degree in History of Art from the University of Edinburgh, and her final year dissertation on the paintings of Paul Nash prompted her continuing fascination with the work of Nash and his contemporaries.
Philip Harley
Senior Director
London
Call+44 (0) 20 7389 2687
E-mailpharley@christies.com
Philip joined Christie's in 1993 and has worked in the field of 20th Century British & Irish Art since 1994, contributing significantly to Christie's lead in this category. As a highly respected and knowledgeable specialist in this field Philip has contributed to Christie's setting numerous auction records for artists including Patrick Caulfield; Barbara Hepworth; L.S. Lowry; Paul Nash; Samuel John Peploe; William Scott and Graham Sutherland. He has a keen interest in the work of the St Ives artists, and has a particular fascination for the work of Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson. Collectors and clients worldwide seek his advice on both buying and selling collections and works of art at auction. Philip holds a M.A. in Art History from the University of St. Andrews; he was appointed Co-Head of the Department in April 2007 and Head of Department in July 2008.
Angus Granlund
Director, Senior Specialist
London
Call+44 (0) 20 7752 3240
E-mailagranlund@christies.com
Gus is a Director of Modern British Art and has a keen interest in Post-War British Art, particularly British Pop Art and the work of artists such as Sir Peter Blake, Richard Hamilton, Allen Jones and David Hockney; and Constructivism heralded by the likes of Victor Pasmore, Antony Hill and Kenneth and Mary Martin.

He joined Christie’s in 2005, becoming Head of Sale for British and Continental Pictures at South Kensington in 2007 and then Head of Sale for Modern British Art in 2012. He has worked on several important single owner collections including The Leslie Waddington Collection in 2016 which he was jointly responsible for and was 100% sold.

Christie’s leads the market for British Pop Art, which Gus has been instrumental in developing through record breaking consignments in recent years. In 2013 he helped curate When Britain Went Pop at Christie’s Mayfair, the first comprehensive exhibition in London dedicated to British Pop Art since the 1960s. In 2016, he assisted with the This Was Tomorrow exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, writing an essay for the catalogue which was the first survey of British Pop Art by a German museum. Gus holds an honours degree in History of Art from the University of Bristol, writing his dissertation on Abstract Art in Post-War St Ives.
Charlie Campbell-Gray
Associate Specialist
London
Call+44 (0) 20 7389 2682
E-mailCCampbell-Gray@christies.com
Charlie Campbell-Gray is an Associate Specialist in the Modern British and Irish Art department in London, working across both auction and private sales. Charlie joined Christie’s in 2018, and since then he has worked on a significant number of landmark auctions. Highlights include both the sale of L.S. Lowry’s Going to the Match, which sold to the Lowry Museum in Salford for a record breaking £7.8 million, and Sir Winston Churchill’s wartime masterpiece Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque, which was gifted to President Franklin Roosevelt, and achieved £8.3 million at auction.

Charlie has also worked on a number of seminal single owner collection sales, such as the Jeremy Lancaster Collection, Mrs Henry Ford II, Sir Nicholas Goodison and Paul D. Allen, the latter sale realising the highest total in auction history.

Before his time at Christie’s, Charlie trained as a Painter and Printmaker at the Glasgow School of Art, having previously studied at the Royal Drawing School. His work was recognised by the Royal Watercolour Society and he exhibited alongside them in their 2017 Summer exhibition in Edinburgh.
Robert Lagneau
Head of Christie’s Scotland
Edinburgh
Call+44 131 225 4756
E-mailrlagneau@christies.com