Auction Houses: Decoding the Art Market

Alan Montgomery was born and raised in Scotland, but has spent most of his adult life in London. Having achieved an MA in Art History at Glasgow University, he worked for many years in the art world at both an international auction house and an antique dealer. In recent years he has returned to academia, achieving an MA in Classical Civilisation in 2011, and has recently completed a PhD in which he analysed eighteenth-century attitudes towards the ancient Roman world. In addition to his work for Context Travel, Alan also writes catalogue essays on Contemporary Art for a leading auctioneer. Elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 2017, he has just started work on a book inspired by his PhD research, which will be published by Edinburgh University Press in 2020.

Hattie has a degree in History of Art and an MA in Historic Interiors, she has a life-long passion and fascination in Fine and Decorative Arts, particularly works produced in Europe from the 16th to 18th century. After working for the Royal Collection in the Print Room at Windsor Castle, she was a curator for a private collector of 17th and 18th century prints and drawings. This sparked a keen interest in portraiture and English art, as well as the printed image. Hattie has worked for London's foremost framer of important old master paintings during which time she sharpened her appreciation and understanding of the decorative arts and the changing tastes of collecting. Recently she has been dealing in prints and works of art as well as taking groups of all ages to museums and galleries.

Jessica Cerasi is Curator of Information and Research at the UK Government Art Collection and co-author of Who’s Afraid of Contemporary Art?, an entertaining and discerning introduction to today’s art and art world (Thames & Hudson, 2017). She was formerly Exhibitions Manager at Carroll / Fletcher gallery, Assistant Curator of the 20th Biennale of Sydney in 2016, and previously Curatorial Assistant at the Hayward Gallery.