Robin Pogrebin got first bite at the apple on the news that Alex Rotter has landed at Christie’s:

Mr. Rotter will become chairman of postwar and contemporary art at Christie’s Americas, beginning in March 2017, after 16 years at Sotheby’s, joining a department that includes Loic Gouzer as a deputy chairman.

Brett Gorvy, Christie’s chairman and international head of postwar and contemporary art, said he and Mr. Rotter have a long history of respectful rivalry. […] He also said he has been impressed over the years by the sales skills of Mr. Rotter, 42, who was born in Austria. “He went up against us in pretty tough times and came pretty close to beating us,” Mr. Gorvy said, “though he did not quite beat us.”

Mr. Rotter considered other options — like joining a gallery or going out on his own as an art adviser — but ultimately determined that he wanted to do what he had been doing. “I like the corporate environment,” Mr. Rotter said. “I like working with people.”

A Sotheby’s Specialist Defects to Christie’s (The New York Times)