^{Caroline Gentsch}

What do you do at Bonhams?  

I am a Contemporary Art Specialist based in Brussels. My responsibilities include business getting, building relationships with collectors and clients, and expanding the presence and visibility of Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr on both a local and international level.

I co-organise two main auctions a year in December and April, alongside private collection sales.

Our next Belgian & Contemporary Art sale is taking place on 9 December 2024 in Brussels, Chaussée de Charleroi. Below are some of my favourite lots going under the hammer.

Where are you from? And what inspired you to go into the art world?  

I was born in Belgium (my grandfather was a diplomat here) but my family was originally from Switzerland. My childhood in Andalusia, my Greco-Latin education and my passion for ancient civilization gradually led me to the contemporary art world. I met my father-in-law (who was an antique dealer) when I was a teenager, an encounter that completely opened my eyes to the art world. I have also been married to a German painter for a few years now.

What was your first job?  

I started my career at Elisabeth Frank Gallery in Knokke-le-Zoute in 1994 working in contemporary art. Elisabeth was an absolute visionary and is very well-known in the old generation of collectors. I have a fond memory in the early years of my career meeting Jesús Rafael Soto, the Venezuelan Kinetic artist—we had a long discussion, in which he shared his experiences and gave me advice on a bench outside the gallery. This was a seminal moment for me which has resonated throughout my career.

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What is your strength as a specialist?

I'm very passionate and always interested in meeting new people and discovering new artists, generations and territories. I love exploring collectors’ homes to see how they display their treasures. Each work of art and collection has a story behind it, whether that be socio-cultural, political, economic or personal. Being an art historian and former curator, my job is to uncover these stories and bring them to life.

If you could share a meal with any three individuals, living or dead, who would they be and why?

My first dinner guest would be Anne-Laure de Noailles, Jean Cocteau’s Lolita. She was so extravagant and offbeat, I would’ve loved to stay at her cubist and surrealist villa in Hyères. We would be joined by contemporary art legends—Andy Warhol and Yves Klein.

What three items would you take with you on a deserted island?

My best illustrated edition of One Thousand and One Nights, my surfboard painted by Keith Haring, Niele Toroni’s paintbrush and Dali’s melting clocks or the Man Ray’s metronome... it's so hard to choose just three items! Oops, I almost forgot—and my Swiss army knife.

Caroline Gentsch is a Contemporary Art Specialist based in Brussels. She can be reached at caroline.gentsch@bonhams-csc.com.

Register to bid in our Belgian & Contemporary Art auction

Browse all lots coming up on 9 December 2024.

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