Jean-Paul Engelen, currently president for the Americas and worldwide co-head of modern and contemporary art at Phillips auction house, will join Acquavella Galleries as a director starting July 1. Engelen spent a decade at Phillips, where he helped increase auction sales by 72 percent between 2015 and 2021, and previously worked at Christie’s for 16 years and at Qatar Museums.
This move signals a significant shift from the auction world to the private gallery sector, coming just after the May 2025 auctions saw considerable sales drops across all major houses. Engelen’s appointment brings deep market expertise and client relationships to Acquavella, a nearly century-old gallery known for secondary market dealings and representation of contemporary artists, positioning it for growth in a changing art market.