Phillips has announced the appointment of Annie Wallington as Senior Specialist and Head of Modern Art in London, as the auction house looks to expand its Modern Art offering amid growing collector demand.
Wallington will join Phillips in July 2026 and will be based in London, where she will play a key role in strengthening the company’s European Modern Art business and supporting its global network of specialists.
The appointment comes at a time when the Modern Art market is attracting renewed attention from collectors, particularly those whose interests have traditionally focused on contemporary art.
India Phillips, Managing Director, Modern & Contemporary Art, Europe, said:
“Annie’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Phillips. Modern Art is seeing clear momentum, with Contemporary collectors increasingly moving into the 20th century canon. This shift plays directly to Phillips’ strengths, with our embedded network of Contemporary collectors across the region.”
She added:
“Annie brings deep market expertise and a highly client-focused approach across both Core and Masterpiece-level transactions in the Modern market and will be central to strengthening our platform and deepening our client relationships across Europe.”
Wallington joins Phillips after nearly two decades at Christie’s, where she most recently served as Senior Specialist and Director in the Impressionist & Modern and 20th/21st Century Art Department.
Over the course of her career, she has worked on a number of significant collections, including The Ernst Beyeler Collection, A Surreal Legacy: The Edward James Foundation, The Leslie Waddington Collection, Birth of the Modern: The Arnold & Joan Saltzman Collection, and Picasso from the Collection of Norman & Grete Granz.
Known for her expertise across both private and institutional collecting, Wallington has advised a broad range of clients, including family offices, corporations and major private collectors.
The appointment forms part of Phillips’ wider efforts to strengthen its position in the Modern Art market. The auction house has recently reported strong results in the category, including the successful sale of The Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr.
In her new role, Wallington will work closely with India Phillips in London and Thibault Stockman, International Specialist, Modern & Post-War Art in Paris, as the company continues to build its European Modern Art business.
The move reflects a broader trend across the market, where boundaries between Modern and Contemporary collecting continue to blur as buyers increasingly move between categories in search of historically significant works and established artistic legacies.
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Mark Westall is the Founder and Editor of FAD magazine –