130. Oliver Barker

About Art

Sotheby's Principal Auctioneer Oliver Barker joined Sotheby’s in 1994 moving to the Contemporary Art department in 2001, rising to Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe, Senior International Specialist in 2016. He is a key figure on the rostrum at the major auctions in both London and New York. Barker oversaw the iconic sale of Banksy's "Love is in the Bin," famously shredded by the artist moments after hammering for $1.04 million in 2018. Additionally, Barker participated in the livestream hybrid auctions – The Webby Awards introduced during the pandemic. Notable achievements include the sales of Francis Bacon's "Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus'' for $84.6 million, Botticelli's "Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Roundel" for $92.2 million, and this year, the sales of Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary art that brought $597 million in a single night.
He and Zuckerman discuss three decades in a career, representing the company and the vendors, relationships with objects, the aesthetic experience, how should one start a collection, art as a place of solace, long term relationships, the YBA and the London art world of the early 1990s, the work that happens outside of the sales, the profound influence of art, and little know aspects of how he spends his personal life!