Christie’s, the leading global art auction house, is based in London. David Linley is chairman of Christie’s, UK.

The auction house deals in popular Post-war contemporary art, Indian antique jewelry, South Asian contemporary art, Chinese masters, Impressionists, moderns etc. Christie’s, UK has enhanced its collectables base through its various departments that juxtapose prized items from various categories.

Linley faces the challenge of not only to shaping individual collectors’ tastes, but also tracing discerning art lover’s broad interests by carefully studying social trends and market trends. He plays a major role in bring art closer to collectors by educating them about the nuances of acquiring specific works in each category.

Linley visited the city of Mumbai a few months ago. During his trip he interacted with collectors here. In a press interview to leading publication Mint, he humbly stated he was not really an authority on Indian art. He succinctly commented that artists from the country were working with a truly overwhelming and rich history.

According to him, the best of Indian art - contemporary & modern - was vey much embedded in the country’s vibrant artistic traditions. He cited Subodh Gupta’s works with an artistic vocabulary rooted in the vernacular of ‘everyday India’. Linley himself possesses some exquisite samples of Indian art and craft in his personal collection. He owns an antique white marble table he acquired when it was in pieces. “The owner lost interest in it. I was happy to mend it and retain it,” he quipped.

Linley believed that this is the time for real collector to come to the fore. The art expert asserted a great deal of art across the world would be inspired by the depression and resultant hardship around us now. The best of it would be in auctions just a decade from now, he predicted.