Who

De Pury is the chairman of Phillips de Pury & Company, an upstart auction house that specializes in contemporary art.

Backstory

De Pury was born in Basel, Switzerland, schooled in Japan, and originally aspired to be an artist himself. Instead he turned to the auction business and worked for a Swiss auctioneer, before joining big-time auction house (and future rival) Sotheby's. In 1979, he left to curate the Swiss branch of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, rejoining Sotheby's in 1986 and eventually becoming the company's head auctioneer. He left for good in 1997, when he joined up with Daniella Luxembourg to found a Geneva-based art advisory firm. Four years later, the company merged with art auctioneers Phillips—and de Pury was back in the auction business, focusing his attention on post-World War II art. When LVMH, the auction house's backer, decided in 2003 to pull out rather than sink more money into the money-losing venture, de Pury bought out the French conglomerate and has since become the majority owner of the firm. As for Luxembourg, she left the company in 2004, which prompted the name change from Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg to Phillips de Pury & Company.

Of note

Compared to traditional powerhouses Sotheby's and Christie's, Phillips de Pury is a boutique operation, but the house is known for its younger buyers and its emphasis on art that happens to be particularly trendy. De Pury himself is renowned for his animated performances on the auction stand (he can conduct auctions in English, French, German, and Italian); art advisor Kim Heirston once described him as "part auctioneer, part rock star." Colleagues admire some of de Pury's big sales, too: He's sold works by Richard Prince for record prices, and at a November 2006 auction he brought the gavel down on more than $40 million's worth of art.

On the job

The auction house's declining fortunes several years ago forced de Pury to sell the company's old headquarters on 57th Street and move south, to the meatpacking district. (The move has actually been a boon for the auction house, reinforcing its downtown cred.) As for de Pury's own digs, his office features a Ron Arad chandelier made of crystal and LED lights, and a twisting combination desk/bookshelf by sculptor Vito Acconci.

Personal

The dapper de Pury was married to Isabel Sloman for nearly three decades. Since divorcing in 2000, he's been linked to French-Canadian socialite/Art + Auction owner Louise MacBain and socialite Brooke de Ocampo.