Loic Gouzer

Loic Gouzer (born June 23, 1980) is a contemporary art specialist known for his curated sales apart from the traditional auction house calendar [11]. Until December 2018, Gouzer was the co-chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s [5]. In November 2017, Gouzer handled the sale of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi at Christie’s for $450.3 million, and it became the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction [4].
==Career==
Loic Gouzer was born in Geneva to parents Elka and Yves Gouzer, as the eldest of four siblings [11]. He began his art career with a small show at a gallery called Analix Forever in Geneva,where he showed a number of Chinese artists [11]. In 2001, Gouzer left for University College London, where he studied art history [11].
Upon graduation, Gouzer was hired by Sotheby’s at their London office [11]. 
In 2011, Gouzer went to rival auction house Christie’s, where he worked as a specialist in the postwar and contemporary art department [1]. At Christie’s, Gouzer became known for his creative curated sales [5]. In May 2014, Gouzer hosted Christie’s first curated auction, titled If I Live I’ll See You Tuesday [2]. The sales totaled $134.6 million, with 97% sold by lot and 99.5% sold by value [2]. The event was accompanied by a promotional video of professional skateboarder Chris Martin riding
through Christie’s facilities [5]. Gouzer handled the sale of Richard Prince’s Spiritual America for its first time at auction [1].
In May 2015, Gouzer hosted another curated auction titled Looking Forward to the Past, with sales totaling $705.9 million and sell-through rates of 97% by lot and 99% by value [7]. Fifteen thousand visitors viewed the pre-sale exhibition at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries over the 10 days preceding the event and clients representing 35 different countries participated at auction [7]. Gouzer handled the $179.4 million sale of Picasso’s Les Femme d’Algers (Version “O”), 1955, which at the time was the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction [3]. Also setting a new record for a sculpture sold at auction, Alberto Giacometti’s L’home au doigt (Pointing Man), 1947, sold for $141.2 million [5]. After this success, Gouzer was promoted to Deputy Chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s [11]. Gouzer curated the auction Bound to Fail in May 2016 [8]. The sale set new world auction records for artists including Paola Pivi, Neil Jenney, Olivier Mosset, Daniel Buren, Rebecca Horn, John Armleder, Maurizio Cattelan. Records were also set for a sculpture by Richard Prince and a video by Bruce Nauman [8].
==Salvator Mundi==
At Christie’s November 2017 Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale, Gouzer made the unusual decision to include Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi in a contemporary art auction. The work sold for $450.3 million, becoming the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction [4]. The work was consigned by russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and purchased by an anonymous client of Alex Rotter, Gouzer’s co-chairman of Global Contemporary Art at Christie’s [4].
In November 2018, Gouzer handled the sale of David Hockney’s Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), 1972, at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art auction [10]. David Hockney became the most expensive living painter when the work sold for $90.3 million [10]. The total auction sales totaled $357.6 million [10]. Gouzer announced his departure from Christie’s in December 2018 [9]. 
==Fair Warning==
In June of 2020, Gouzer launched his proprietary mobile auction app, Fair Warning. Basquiat's Untitled (1982) sold on the app for $10.8 million, setting the record for the most expensive art work sold on an app. 
==Personal life==
Gouzer enjoys traveling, surfing, and spearfishing. [1]. He owns a house in Montauk and rents a
penthouse in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City [11]. 
==Philanthropy==
Gouzer is committed to environmental causes, sitting on the board of the nonprofit Oceana, an
international organization dedicated to ocean conservation [1]. In 2013, Gouzer hosted a charity
auction with Leonardo DiCaprio that raised $38.8 million for a number of conservation projects
Category:1980 births
Category:People from Geneva
Category:Contemporary art