Inside Christie's Chicago

Since half of the people that probably read this blog work at Sotheby's or Christie's in New York, I figure it might interest you to know how the regional offices match up to their New York behemoth counterparts :) I spent this morning at the Christie's headquarters in Chicago which is on the 38th floor of the John Hancock building. The entry feels very much like a Madison Avenue gallery - all white, pristine, great millwork, pretty receptionist, you know...the works. There are no specialist groups and no live auctions, which means that the mere 5-7 employees are all generalists who solely focus on securing consignments in the midwest (13 states to be exact). Obviously there is a lot more activity and buzz in the New York offices with all of the sales and pre-sale exhibitions, but highlights of those sales are sometimes on display in the main entrance for local clients' viewing pleasure. There is a deep client intimacy level with several trips to homes and estates within the territory as a main component of the position making this a lot more like private wealth management than anything else. Network, network, network!

A peek inside