SERVICES

Christie’s Art Finance

Bespoke borrowing for art and luxury collectors

Your passion is your greatest asset

Maximise the potential of your collection with Christie’s Art Finance. As the world’s leading art and luxury business, Christie’s offers unmatched specialist expertise, speed and flexibility to help you harness the value of your fine art and luxury goods with asset-secured loans starting at US$1 million.

Whether you’re looking to start or expand your collection, we’ll craft a lending solution around your needs.

What you can expect from us

Bespoke lending solution with competitive interest rates
Loan execution within 2-3 weeks
Free in-house expert valuations and data-driven market intelligence
Seamless and confidential end-to-end service
Expertise in over 70 art and luxury categories

Meet our Art Finance specialists

Sayuri Ganepola

Global Managing Director

SGanepola@christies.com

Sayuri Ganepola is the Global Managing Director of Christie’s Art Finance and the Co-Chairman of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Americas. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and earning her MBA at the Darden School at University of Virginia, Sayuri gained extensive experience in wealth management, structured finance and investment banking at Merrill Lynch, Standard and Poor’s and Lehman Brothers before completing a master’s degree from Christie’s Education.

During her Christie’s career she has held numerous leadership positions, building on her finance acumen and strong knowledge of the art and capital markets. Prior to her current role, she was the Head of Client Strategy for the Americas.

Shaun Desiderio

Regional Portfolio Manager, APAC

Based in Hong Kong, Shaun Desiderio is the Regional Portfolio Manager for Asia Pacific focusing on loan originations and borrower relationship management. Shaun joined Christie’s in 2017, working in various roles in Business Development and Commercial Finance before joining the Art Finance team in 2021.

He has a BS in Finance and Marketing from Lehigh University and an MBA at NYU Stern School of Business, specialising in Finance and Management. Shaun is a member of the Guggenheim Young Collectors Council.

Abigail Barkwell

Corporate Counsel

ABarkwell@christies.com

Abby Barkwell is the Corporate Counsel for Christie’s Art Finance. She is responsible for overseeing all facets of corporate governance, compliance matters, regulatory matters and commercial contracts.

Abby joined Christie’s in 2021 after growing her career at Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC and Skadden, Arps, Slate, and Meagher & Flom LLP.

She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and has a JD from the University of Michigan Law School. Abby volunteers with the Legal Aid Society and Ronald McDonald House New York.

Damian Leslie

Regional Portfolio Manager, EMEA

Damian Leslie is based in London as Regional Portfolio Manager for EMEA. Damian brings over 25 years’ experience in finance across private banking, wealth management and art lending. He will focus on providing clients with specialist advice on leveraging their passion investments, including their fine art, design, jewellery, watches and wine to collectors, families, estates, galleries and dealers across EMEA.

Prior to joining Christie’s, he spent the last 10 years specialising in art backed lending to ultra-high net worth and corporate clients across Europe and Asia and the preceding 14 years in private banking and wealth management with Coutts and NatWest.

Damian graduated with honours, from Imperial College, University of London with a Bachelor of Science degree and is RDR level 6 qualified.

Edmund Bernard

Art Finance Manager, EMEA

Edmund Bernard is Art Finance Manager, EMEA. Based in Christie’s King Street headquarters in London, Edmund handles loan originations from across the EMEA region. He joined Christie’s in 2014 and has over a decade of experience across business development, appraisals, and the financial and strategic management of the President’s Office.

Edmund is FGA qualified and has a First Class degree in English Literature from Durham University.

Step-by-step: the loan process

Request a complimentary estimate
Contact one of our global specialists or use our online auction estimate tool to see if your items are suitable collateral for a loan.
Agree terms of proposed financing conditions
Our Christie’s Art Finance team will discuss the estimates and terms of the proposed financing conditions with you. We will also provide a preliminary term sheet for your review to sell your item.
Complete diligence and draft loan agreement
Leave it with us as we work closely with you to complete our diligence and loan agreement for the transaction. Throughout the process, our specialists will be your point of contact.
Ship your items
Christie's can arrange transport, storage and insurance for your property, or put you in touch with trusted local shippers
Finalise the loan
Our legal team will provide you with our Loan and Security agreements to finalise the loan. Once we have a fully executed closing set of agreements, we will confirm your net proceeds with any agreed upon fees and expenses deducted at closing. Funds will be wired to your nominated account.

FAQs

What does Christie’s Art Finance do?

Our aim is to meet the liquidity needs of our clients by offering loans greater than $1,000,000 against their fine art collection. Other types of art collateral will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Where does Christie’s provide financing?

Loans will be executed out of New York, London or Hong Kong, and generally to clients located in the US, UK, Switzerland and Hong Kong. Clients located in other jurisdictions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and additional diligence and legal analysis will be necessary before proceeding.

How much can I borrow and for how long?

A typical loan would fall within the region of 40–60% of the low auction estimate of the collateral. These loans are offered for a period of 1–3 years, but we can consider more bespoke arrangements based on the circumstances.

Does Christie’s take possession of the collateral?

Generally, we do. But, in certain jurisdictions, we may allow the pledged art to remain in the client’s possession if the legal framework allows.

In all cases, the responsibility for insurance coverage on the artwork remains with the owner, with Christie’s Art Finance named as additional insured party and first loss payee.

Can I borrow from Christie’s without committing to a sale?

Absolutely. With a loan against your artwork, there is no obligation to sell. At end of the term, the loan may be refinanced or repaid. Should you desire, our Specialists can work on a sale plan to raise part or all of the funds due — but this is not at all required.

Additionally, for clients who are considering sales within a shorter term (less than a year), we can provide financing as an advance against sale at even more advantageous terms.

How do I start? What do I need to provide?

Our goal is to partner closely with you in an effort to structure the loan to meet your financial needs and to support the objectives around your fine art collection. The first step involves meeting with us to discuss what you are looking for and providing us with details about the property. Following our initial discussions and once we have received full descriptions of the artworks (medium, dimensions, date) as well as any high-resolution images you may have, we can provide an initial appraisal of the artwork and indicative terms for the loan.

Once terms have been accepted, we will need documents that verify the provenance, ownership and insurance for the art proposed as collateral. Also, we will need to complete the required steps or collect additional information for Know Your Client (KYC) purposes.

What do I need to do now?

For general enquiries, please contact us at artfinance@christies.com or by telephone at +1 212 636 2000.