Phillips reinvents the auction house with new gallery space

Auction houses have undergone an enormous change in the way they treat customers and visitors and no less so than at Phillips' exhibition space and showroom in Berkeley Square, London.

Phillips decided to bring back a central London presence to its dealings recently through a new gallery which has a modern and open design that other auction houses may view with some envy.

It is the brainchild of Creative and Marketing Director, Damien Whitmore, who has a long track record of success in re-inventing the brands at Tate Modern, the V&A, MOMA in New York andthe Prada Foundation in Milan.

"We don't call ourselves an auction house. We are trying to redefine what auction houses are for the twenty first century.. Before the approach was: "Hello. Buy this". Now it's "Hello. Can I tell you about this?

Additionally, we have put a lot of money back into helping young artists who make the art which we might sell. We ran a show at the ICA last year for 50 young artists which was a great success.

It's all about engagement now. Instagram is important, as is all digital communication. But having a physical retail space in London, New York and Paris is very important."

You can listen to Damien speak at the Forum here: