Tom Christopherson, the new chairman of the British Art Market Federation (BAMF)
Courtesy of BAMF
Tom Christopherson, a lawyer and legal consultant to Bonhams, has been appointed chairman of the British Art Market Federation (BAMF). He replaces Martin Wilson who stepped down after just six months following the surprise announcement in December that he is joining Phillips as the auction house’s new chief executive.
Anthony Browne will remain the president of the federation he cofounded in 1996 and will work alongside Christopherson, who has served on BAMF’s executive committee since 2000, and Freya Simms, who was been appointed deputy chairman, having served as BAMF’s treasurer for the past seven years. Simms remains the chief executive of the Association of Art & Antiques Dealers.
Previously European general counsel at Sotheby’s, Christopherson will continue to scrutinise legislative proposals, but the lawyer has his sights on arts education as a vital part of BAMF’s work going forward.
“What’s very clear through my experience with the Arts Scholars Company and the Arts Scholars Trust is that museums, institutions, collectors and everything else are so closely interlinked, and everything flows from the key point of education,” he says. “We need to have an education system that supports the arts, and to make sure that both pupils and teachers are aware of the wide range of opportunities across the art world. Otherwise, how will we find the people to work in the arts, which contribute so much, economically and culturally.”
Christopherson points to a clear shift in attitudes towards the arts with the current government, particularly the pledge to reverse declines in arts education. “It’s all about creating that pipeline. BAMF is becoming more and more focused on education, and we think the government is very interested in these areas, looking at things like the excellent apprenticeship schemes,” he says.
Other key issues including lowering or abolishing import VAT on art and simplifying import and export procedures will remain central to BAMF’s work, Christopherson says. According to the latest United Nations figures, published in the Art Basel/UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2024 last October, the value of fine art and antiques imports to Britain fell by 16% year on year in 2023, taking its global share down to 7%. Compare this with 2010, when the UK’s share accounted for 30% of global imports. The value of exports from the UK also dropped by 16% last year—down an astonishing 60% since 2019, when its global share of exports was nearly on a par with the US.
Nonetheless, the UK remains the third largest art market, accounting for 17% of the global trade in 2023, narrowly behind China with 19%. The US dominates with a 42% share. Despite advances from countries such as France and Italy, the UK remains the largest art market in Europe, comprising around 7,800 businesses and providing more than 45,000 jobs, according to BAMF. The UK’s trade also supports a variety of associated industries, from shipping and storage to restoration and conservation, sustaining a further 37,900 jobs.
“The government is talking about growth and international reach, and this is something that London has traditionally done incredibly well in the art market. We want to push for everything we can to help London maintain its key position as an efficient entrepot for art sales,” Christopherson says. “Things like the import VAT regime and the general administrative burden have to be kept under careful review. Everything we've heard from the government in recent weeks suggests that they're open to that generally. We want to make sure that the art market in particular benefits.”
Another potential thorn in the UK art market’s side is the new Labour government’s decision to abolish non-dom status from April, causing an exodus of millionaires from the country. According to UBS’s latest Global Wealth Report, around 500,000 millionaires are due to leave the UK by 2028.
Christopherson doesn’t see the non-dom situation as “directly an issue”, though he acknowledges the “need to ensure that the UK remains a key place for people from anywhere in the world to come together, both buyers and sellers, to buy and sell art”. He adds: “We must make it as easy for them and as efficient for them, while ensuring that all the appropriate checks and balances are in place. BAMF has never argued for a free for all, but for the most efficient way of doing what needs to be done.”
Looking ahead, Christopherson says the key challenge for the British art market will be to maintain and develop its strength “of being a really efficient, helpful, open place for international and domestic trade in art”. He adds: “It’s always a movable feast, new challenges will arise, but that’s the goal. It’s a strength that we’ve had in the UK for 70 years, and it’s something that we must build on.”
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