19th Century European Art

Alastair has acted as Head of the British & European Art sales in London since 2018, contributing to the success of the department’s many and varied sales. Alastair began his career at Christies in 2011 and led the 19th Century European & Orientalist Art auctions in Christie’s South Kensington to their highest results between 2014-2017. He played a significant role in Christie’s Amsterdam auctions in 2017.

Alastair is responsible for appraising and promoting European paintings and developing top client relationships throughout Europe, with a particular emphasis on Scandinavia and the Nordic regions. Alastair has a wealth of knowledge in this arena and has been involved with record breaking results for Scandinavian artists such as Vilhelm Hammershøi and Akseli Gallen-Kallela.

Alastair has established an extensive international network of collectors and museum curators. He has negotiated many private sales within this category. Alastair works closely with the Christie’s international team, having sourced business for auctions in London, Paris, Amsterdam and New York.

Prior to joining Christie’s, Alastair worked in a commercial art gallery exhibiting at Art Fairs throughout the UK. Alastair holds a M.Litt in Theology of Arts and the Imagination from the University of St. Andrews.

With twenty years’ experience in valuing Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art, Peter Brown has overseen sales which have ensured Christie’s dominance of this market. As head of department, Peter has led a team which has achieved many world auction records for Victorian artists including those for Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Millais, Holman Hunt and Leighton. He was closely involved in securing and selling the Forbes Collection of Victorian Pictures in 2003, which sold for a total of £17 million – the largest ever auction of Victorian art to date, in which 65 auction records were achieved. In July 2013 he co-ordinated an auction of Victorian Pictures that realised £22,201,975 /$33,547,184 /€25,598,878, the highest total ever achieved for the category. The top price was paid for a masterpiece by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt., A.R.A., R.W.S. (1833-1898), Love Among the Ruins, which sold for £14,845,875/$22,432,117/€17,117,294, setting a new world record price for the artist at auction (estimate: £3 – 5 million) and becoming the most expensive Pre-Raphaelite painting ever sold at auction. In June 2000, he discovered an unsigned and previously unidentified work by Sir John Everett Millais. Estimated at £60-80,000, the picture sold for £157,750. (Christie’s, London, 14 June 2000, lot 11). Most recently he helped orchestrate the sale of the Setton Collection in December 2020 which saw many pictures double their pre-sale estimates and achieve world record prices. Peter Brown holds a B.A. from Durham University, and is a graduate of Christie’s Education. He has worked with Christie’s since 1992 and is a Senior Director and International Specialist.