Media Release For Immediate Release Sotheby's London | +44 (0)20 7293 6000 | Matthew Weigman | Matthew.Weigman@sothebys.com

Toby Skeggs Toby.Skeggs@sothebys.com

Sotheby's New York | 001 212 606 7176 | Dan Abernethy | Dan.Abernethy@sothebys.com SOTHEBY'S  OPENS  OFFICE  IN  INDIA AND ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC APPOINTMENTS IN ITS INDIAN BUSINESS

x EDWARD GIBBS ANNOUNCED AS CHAIRMAN SOTHEBY'S  INDIA  AND  MIDDLE  EAST

x PRIYANKA MATHEW ANNOUNCED  AS  REGIONAL  DIRECTOR,  SOTHEBY'S  INDIA

MUMBAI, INDIA, 31ST AUGUST 2015 --- Tomorrow in Mumbai, Robin Woodhead, Chairman of Sotheby's  International,  will announce strategic  appointments  in  the  Company's Indian business and the opening of an office in Mumbai, India. Edward Gibbs has been appointed Chairman of Sotheby's  India, Middle East and North Africa and Priyanka Mathew has been appointed Regional Director, Sotheby's  India. The  move  demonstrates  the  company's  commitment  to  providing  a  greater  level  of  service to its clients based in the country. By opening an office in India, the company will be able to increase the scale and scope of its activities in the country and support a full calendar of events, lectures,  exhibitions,  and  charity  sales.    This  move  facilitates  the  company's  abilities  to  connect  with  a greater number of new and existing collectors in India through our global network of specialists and auctions. The   announcement   coincides   with   the   company's   preview in Mumbai of highlights from its upcoming Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale in London in October, at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, The Ballroom, Apollo Bunder, Mumbai.

Sotheby's   has   been   active   in   India   for   almost   three   decades   working   with   the   leading   collectors   in  the country and staging regular events in New Delhi and Mumbai. It was the first international auction house to hold an auction in India, when in October 1992, it mounted a sale of Indian, European and Oriental Paintings and Works of Art in New Delhi. Today, amid ever increasing auction participation  from  a  growing  Indian  client  base,  the  value  of  purchases  by  Indian  clients  at  Sotheby's  has  grown,  on  average,  by  42%  per  year  over  the  past  five  years  at  Sotheby's.
Speaking   of   Sotheby's   office   opening,   Robin   Woodhead,   Chairman   of   Sotheby's   International, said: "In   recent   years,   collectors   and   buyers   based   in   India   have   become   increasingly   active   in   Sotheby's  international auctions across a broad spectrum of collecting categories - from Contemporary and Impressionist Art to Jewellery and Old Masters. Our decision to open an office in Mumbai and appoint Edward Gibbs and Priyanka Mathew to these key roles is testament to the importance of India to  Sotheby's  global  business.  These initiatives will allow us to provide a more sophisticated level of service to our existing collectors and enable the company to further develop its client base and activities in  the  country."
The   announcement   of   these   appointments   and   the   India   office   opening   comes   ahead   of   Sotheby's  second annual India and Islamic Art Week taking place in London under the direction of Edward Gibbs and Yamini Mehta. Following last   year's   highly   successful series, this year, exhibitions and sales from the 2nd - 7th October include the single-owner sale of The Sven Gahlin Collection of Indian Miniature paintings, Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, and Arts of the Islamic World.

Priyanka Mathew, Regional Director, Soth eb y's   India

For   the   last   five   years   Priyanka   has   been   Sotheby's   International   Senior   Specialist, Modern and
Contemporary South Asian Art, based in New York. During this time, while focussing on the
collecting category of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, she has worked with Indians who
collect  across  the  range  categories  Sotheby's  sells.  

Speaking of her new role in India, Priyanka Mathew said: "We   have   been   active   in   India   for   almost  three decades working with the leading collectors in the country and staging regular events in New Delhi and Mumbai. The art scene in India has never been more vibrant. There are new galleries, museums and initiatives emerging all the time that are engaging more people than ever before. The crowds at our events earlier this year showed that there is a real hunger for the sort of international outlook   that   Sotheby's   offers,   so   we   are   thrilled   to   be   expanding   our   operations   here   to   become   a  bigger part of this mix. In this new role I will use  my  experience  both  at  Sotheby's  and  in  my  previous  career   on   Wall   Street   to   increase   the   visibility   of   the   Sotheby's   brand, drive more business with our existing clients and engage with a new audience of private and corporate collectors."

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Sotheby's   has   been   uniting   collectors   with   world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's   became  the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today,   Sotheby's   presents   auctions   in   10   different   salesrooms,  including New York,London,Hong Kong andParis,  and  Sotheby's   BidNow program allows visitors to view   all   auctions   live   online   and   place   bids   from   anywhere   in   the   world.   Sotheby's   offers   collectors  the resources of Sotheby's   Financi al   Servi ce s , the  world's  only  full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Contemporary Art department, and two retail businesses, So theby 's   D i am o nds and

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