Christie’s announced today that Steven Murphy will be leaving the company at the end of the year. Patricia Barbizet will assume his responsibilities. His departure follows closely upon Sotheby’s announcement that it’s CEO Bill Ruprecht will step down when a successor is chosen:

“There is no doubt in my mind that Christie’s is the number one auction house in the world,” Mr Murphy told the Financial Times on Tuesday, adding that the decision to leave was a “mutual” one made between himself and the board.

“When Mr Pinault and Madame Barbizet brought me into Christie’s, I was tasked with helping to modernise the company and enable it to grow in the new world in which we operate, while maintaining its extraordinary spirit and culture, and consistently focusing on the art itself. We have now successfully concluded an ambitious three year plan and the company is in the strongest leadership position in its history,” Mr Murphy said.

He added that he had no immediate plans to announce regarding his future, other than that he would be spending more time with his family.

Christie’s chief executive Murphy to step down   (FT.com)