Guillaume Cerutti
Guillaume Cerutti | |
|---|---|
| File:Guillaume Cerutti.jpg Guillaume Cerutti | |
| Born | 20 March 1966 La Ciotat, France |
| Alma mater | Sciences Po Ecole Nationale d'Administration |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Employer | Pinault Collection |
| Title | Chairman, Christie's President, Pinault Collection |
| Children | 4 |
Guillaume Cerutti (born 20 March 1966) is a prominent French business leader and former high-ranking civil servant. Since 2023, he has held the position of chairman at the auction house Christie's. In 2025, he took over from François Pinault as the president of the Pinault Collection.
Between 1996 and 2001, Cerutti was the managing director of the Centre Georges Pompidou. He served as chief of staff to the French Minister of Culture, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, from 2002 until 2004, and subsequently joined France's Ministry of Finance. He led Sotheby's France as CEO from 2007 to 2011 and was deputy chairman for Sotheby's Europe until 2015. From 2017 to 2025, he acted as CEO of Christie's.
Early life and career
Born on 20 March 1966 in La Ciotat, France,[1] Guillaume Cerutti pursued his studies in Paris at the Institut d’Études Politiques and later at the Ecole Nationale d'Administration. Early in his professional journey, he occupied various administrative roles. From 1996 to 2001, he directed the Centre Georges Pompidou, where he supervised the refurbishment of the Musée National d'Art Moderne.[2]
Between 2002 and 2004,[2] Cerutti was appointed chief of staff to the French Minister of Culture, Jean-Jacques Aillagon. Following Aillagon's period in office,[3] Cerutti transitioned to a position within the Ministry of Economy and Finance, where from 2008 to 2011 he led the executive office responsible for consumer affairs and competition.[2]
Career in the private sector
In September 2007, Cerutti was appointed president-director of Sotheby's France, following a recommendation from Jean-Jacques Aillagon. By 2011, he advanced to the role of vice president for Sotheby's Europe, and by 2015, he held dual positions as deputy chairman of Sotheby's Europe and CEO of Sotheby's France. During his leadership, Sotheby's secured the top art sales in the French market, largely driven by several prominent French art collections auctioned in Paris, London, and New York.
In August 2015, Les Echos announced his upcoming appointment as president of Christie's for London, Continental Europe, the Middle East, India, and Russia (Christie's EMERI). He assumed this role in 2016 after a non-compete agreement expired. On January 1, 2017, Cerutti succeeded Patricia Barbizet as CEO of Christie's. Soon after taking the helm, he initiated a company restructuring that included shutting down Christie's lower-tier outlet in South Kensington and reducing operations in Amsterdam. The resources saved were redirected toward expanding facilities in Asia and Los Angeles.
As CEO of Christie's, Cerutti managed several high-profile auctions that set new world records. Notably, in 2017, he oversaw the sale of Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi at Christie's New York for $450.3 million, establishing a new auction record for artwork. Later, in November 2022, he directed the auction of the Paul G. Allen Collection, which fetched $1.6 billion—marking the largest sale ever recorded at auction globally. In 2021, Cerutti also supervised Christie's inaugural NFT auction featuring Beeple's Everydays: the First 5000 Days. Following additional NFT sales through Christie's, including multiple Cryptopunk pieces, he expressed continued optimism about NFTs and their market potential as reported by the Wall Street Journal in July 2023.
Cerutti was elevated to chairman of Christie's in 2023. He relinquished his CEO position in February 2025 to assume broader responsibilities within the Pinault family's art ventures, taking on the presidency of the Pinault Collection.
Board and organizations
Since 2015, Cerutti has served as the chairman of the Fondation Nationale des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques (FNAGP). By the end of 2016, he was a member of the audit committee at Flamel Technologies, a company specializing in pharmaceuticals. Additionally, he has led various cultural non-profit entities, including the Accentus Chamber Choir from 2007 to 2012, the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie in Arles between 2009 and 2010, as well as the Institute pour le Financement du Cinéma et des Industries Culturelles from 2010 through 2016.
Writing
Cerutti authored La politique culturelle, un enjeu du XXIème siècle, 20 propositions, which was released in October 2016. His writings on cultural policy have appeared in several notable publications such as Commentaire, Le Monde, Les Échos, and L'Opinion.
Personal life
He is married and has three daughters. As of 2023, Cerutti resides in London.
Publishing history
- Cultural policy, a challenge of the 21st century - twenty proposals (October 12, 2016), Odile Jacob, ISBN 978-2-7381-3469-1
References
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