Leonie Grainger

What is your current position at Bonhams?

I am Head of the Post-War and Contemporary Art department in London. We hold four auctions a year, as well as one-off themed exhibitions such as Of Colour & Line, on view from 21 February to 1 March.

Our next Post-War & Contemporary Art sale on 21 March is currently open for consignments.

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

I am German but my mother is Irish, so I was lucky to be brought up in both cultures. I was exposed to art from a young age, but when I went to Madrid as a teenager and saw Guernica by Pablo Picasso for the first time, I couldn’t believe that an artwork could be so provoking that it had to be protected by bulletproof glass. From then onwards, I knew I wanted to study art history and work in the art world.

What was your first job?

My first role was gallery assistant at Waddington Galleries, which was a great start! I was writing about blue-chip modern and contemporary art, observing how to present and sell art, meeting artists such as Frank Stella, Claes Oldenburg, Kenny Scharf and Peter Blake, and assisting the directors at international art fairs.

Name one of your triumphs.

Having joined Bonhams in November 2021 as Head of Department, I am proud to have been able to make an immediate strong impact—by implementing change and increasing the auction hammer results of the London department by over 40% from 2021 to 2022, as well as driving growth in private sales.

What has changed in your area of the business since you first started?

When I first started in the art world, there was no Instagram and—in general—the interconnectivity of the global art world was physical at art fairs, not virtual. There was less transparency as the data was not easily accessible online. For instance, dealers would buy artworks from small European auction houses and flip them within a few months in London or New York for a much higher price.

What is your strength as a specialist?

Having worked as a specialist in galleries and auction houses for nearly 20 years, I have a wealth of experience which I can share with clients to help build long-lasting collections. Also, my job is my passion, I love what I do: to meet new collectors, to discover emerging artists, to put together auctions and exhibitions.

What are buyers and sellers looking for in the post-war and contemporary art market?

The most sought-after artists at all pricing levels are women painters, as they have been undervalued for such a long time and the quality is consistent. So, the demand for works by Yayoi Kusama, all women Abstract Expressionist painters—for instance Joan Mitchell and Lee Krasner—and younger women artists exploring abstraction such as Flora Yukhnovich, Lucy Bull and Jade Fadojutimi are outstripping supply.

Collectors are, furthermore, seeking paintings by Post-War artists which are part of the canon of art history, such as Frank Stella, Jean Dubuffet, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol and Sam Francis.

Do you have a hidden talent?

I can fence. I learnt it as a teenager and its principles have set me out for life: focus, discipline and being ready for anything.

Which work of art has changed your life?

The huge upside-down eagle by Georg Baselitz that I saw as a small girl, walking up the stairs of the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt on Sundays. It sparked my interest in contemporary art and definitely gave me a new perspective.

Leonie Grainger is Head of Post- War and Contemporary in London. She will be on the panel of What is driving success in the art world?, a discussion hosted by Bonhams Munich, The Art of Seeing Magazine and Rosewood Munich on 27 February in Munich.

She can be reached at Leonie.Grainger@bonhams.com