Christie’s has appointed Max Carter as chairman of 20th and 21st Century art for the Americas. Carter, a Canadian-American writer and art specialist who joined the auction house in 2007, previously led the Impressionist and modern art department in the Americas from 2017 to 2022. He has overseen major collection consignments from Anne Bass, Paul Allen, S.I. Newhouse, Mica Ertegun, Robert F. Weis and Patricia G. Ross Weis, and Elaine Wynn, and has achieved record prices for artists like Ed Ruscha and Henri Rousseau. Carter will report to Christie’s global president and succeeds in the role as the auction house prepares for its marquee November sales in New York.
The appointment matters because it places a seasoned dealmaker and trusted advisor at the helm of Christie’s Americas business for modern and contemporary art, a critical market segment. Carter’s deep relationships with top collectors and his track record of securing high-value consignments signal Christie’s continued focus on winning blue-chip estates and private collections. His dual background as both an auction executive and a published art writer also underscores the growing convergence of market expertise and cultural commentary in the art world.