Alexander Gilkes

“Our generation has become somewhat stripped of identity by the homogenizing effect of technology. So, more than ever, people want to project their own individuality.”

“My father is someone I've always looked up to as the ultimate example of chivalry and humility, and someone who's just deeply kind and empathetic and selfless.”

“I'm a bit of a dynamite fisherman when it comes to cooking as I don't have the patience, but I am a huge foodie.”

“I feel a strong connection to water, so, no matter the time of year, I always go for a swim.”

“Unfortunately, chivalry seems to be on the decline, but let's hope that manners can remain important. I, for one, will certainly be an evangelist with it.”

“There is such opacity within the art market. There's also an abundance of fraud and misrepresented goods, which leads to mistrust between buyers and sellers.”

“I remember being led to a shed by my father for the unveiling of a beautiful bicycle, equipped with stabilizers, on Christmas Day. I must have been four or five and realized that this was my first ride into independence.”

“Our gutsy view of the world is that with time, there will be three auction houses: two serving the upper end of the market and Paddle8, serving the middle market.”

“A great friend and mentor, Simon de Pury, invited me to be auctioneer at Phillips de Pury, which was a great honor.”

“There is a heavy leaning to try and extract information from me, and I always have to clamp down.”

“Artists will always depend on the brick-and-mortar ecosystem to establish authority and context.”

“I was given a life-size iron sculpture of a heron by a godparent. It was so poorly made, that it looked more like a pterodactyl and was so unbalanced that it would continue to topple over and create huge divots in my bedroom floor with its sharp beak.”

“I once termed my sense of dress as 'urban farmer' and that became a perennial source of bullying from my friends, particularly my brother.”

“Celebrity is not something I consciously pursue.”

“I'm a big believer in manners and respect: that one should never do to another what you wouldn't wish for yourself.”

“I just love the idea of being able to have a place where friends and family can meet, where you can raise everything from chickens to llamas, and, you know, have an artist residency.”

“I'm the son of a doctor, and the key to working in the art world is to have boundaries of discretion.”

“What you collect is the ultimate impartation of who you are. It's the archive of your identity - it's what you leave behind.”

“I was a rather tubby youngster, which was a complete surprise to my family.”