Female Voices in Art: Sarah de Clercq, Managing Director of Sotheby’s, The Netherlands 

Sarah de Clercq (b. 1971, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) studied at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, and the University of Groningen where she received her degree in Art History in 1997. After 17 years at Christie’s Amsterdam as Senior Specialist of Nineteenth Century, Impressionist and Modern Art and as head of various departments, she became Managing Director of Sotheby’s in The Netherlands in 2018. Sarah works closely with leading collectors, art professionals and institutions on their acquisitions and collection management. Besides this, she on the board of numerous cultural institutions, including the Panorama Mesdag, castle and estate Duivenvoorde, the Titus Circle of the Rembrandt Society and the Grachtenfestival. She is the author of numerous articles, books and exhibition catalogues on Dutch paintings from the nineteenth century.

Could you tell us something about your role in the art world?

In January 2018 I became the Managing Director of Sotheby’s, The Netherlands. As we do not hold live auctions in Amsterdam anymore since 2011 our team is completely focused on sourcing and selling top end artworks from our Dutch clients within our international auction platforms. Furthermore, I strive to (re)introduce top Dutch artists to our sales in London, Paris, Geneva and New York. I feel privileged to work with and be part of an international team that includes so many passionate colleagues worldwide and love to continue to learn about art every day. It is a real joy to be able to work amongst the finest examples of unique objects, from fine art, jewellery, design to cutting edge contemporary art.

What did you enjoy about being a part of this project?

I felt honoured to be included in this special project and loved to see Carla working. She was really relaxed, and she knew exactly what she wanted to achieve. After laying on the ground in her studio in a slightly too tiny dress, I was amazed by the beautiful and professional result.

Do you have a favourite artist?

Too many to choose from - I discover favourite new artists every day! After following an academic painting course in Florence in my gardening leave in the autumn of 2017, I have an even better understanding of how difficult it is to be an artist. I have a strong admiration for artist who were able to discover something breathtakingly ‘new’ within their own era and look forward to seeing where today’s artists will take us.

What is your earliest memory involving art?

I grew up in a house full of everything from Old Masters to Modern sculptures my mother made, so from a very young age we as a family had conversations about art and the beauty of art. But the first memory is probably a visit with my parents and sister to see the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna and the Doge Palace in Venice which I will always remember.

Do you have any special thoughts about the position of women in the art world?

No not particularly. In the Netherlands we have great women in prestigious positions in the art scene, including prominent female museum directors. Equality is important, but I have the feeling women in The Netherlands have the same possibilities as men and are well represented.

What are you wearing, and is there a story behind it?

For my photoshoot with Carla I wore an incredible dress by Addy van den Krommenacker. I visited his atelier in Den Bosch where we tried on some of his creations, all in size 0 which made it an even funnier experience.

What impact does the current health crisis have on your daily practice?

The disruption caused by COVID-19 and all the related measurements changed the auction business (and the whole art world) drastically and probably forever. The traditional auction calendar was disrupted and in a short period of time our live sales turned into a huge increase of online sales and the market showed to adapt and be strong. Our traditional Evening Sales, previously attended by hundreds of collectors, were adapted into a pioneering livestream format that introduced dynamic global broadcasting with millions of views from all around the world. It was great and exciting to be in the middle of all these changes and experience that we continued to succeed with our innovative approach, even in these difficult circumstances. Personally, of course I miss the travelling, the direct contact with my international clients and colleagues and to be able to attend the sales in person and see all the amazing art pieces we sell. Our focus is much more local, for example we sell a lot of private sales of top Dutch art in The Netherlands and our time at home gave us the opportunity to really invest in our relationships with our clients. Art collectors did not pull back due to financial uncertainty. Clients spend more time at home, and this lead to many people redecorating and attention for their direct surrounding and thus art. Nevertheless, we all hope to get part of the live auctions back, when life will start getting back to normal.

Is it changing your views on Art?

The crisis made it even clearer to me how important art is for all of us. Art feeds us and inspires. Recently, we had a selected group of clients in our office to see a spectacular painting by Vincent van Gogh and the reactions were sometimes even emotional. People were so touched to be in direct contact with great art again. It showed how important it is to see art in person.

Are you creating new initiatives and ways of working?

Our business model has changed significantly due to the global pandemic and we try to be improve our way of working every day. With these private viewings for example we organize in our office, like we did with the Van Gogh last week, we bring the art to the collectors, as travelling is not possible for our clients. We also organize virtual appointments with international specialists, we create the most amazing digital catalogues and we see that our clients are increasingly confident in buying high value pieces online. Our new digital tools and frictionless experiences also brought a record influx of new (and young) buyers. A professional and personal approach remains essential to buy and sell art, but with the new techniques a lot is possible.