An Oxford criminologist looks at Leonardo; Nando's supports African artists; Rebecca Wei leaves Christie's; 'That' Porsche reveals classic car market's fade.

his commentary by Marion Maneker is available to AMMpro subscribers. (The first month of AMMpro is free and subscribers are welcome to sign up for the first month and cancel before they are billed.)

Rebecca Wei Waves Goodbye to Christie’s

The news earlier this week that Christie’s Rebecca Wei is taking a break from the auction business and stepping down was followed by Wei taking a nostalgic tour on Instagram of her first and last auction bids which were, tellingly, on two different works by Pablo Picasso. As ever, the most informative take on the matter comes from The South China Morning Post’s Enid Tsui who wrote:

Wei was an art world outsider when she became Christie’s Asia general manager in 2012. Based in Hong Kong, she had spent the previous decade as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. The former leader of McKinsey’s Asia hi-tech and telecommunications practice was promoted to Christie’s Asia president in 2016, assuming responsibility for the crucial mainland China market. […] Art market insiders said on Tuesday that, while Wei’s departure had come as a surprise, even within the company itself, there had been speculation she was not comfortable with being Christie’s Asia chairman..

Tsui also points out that a former Swarovski executive, Francis Belin, has been running the day-to-day business in Asia since December 2018.