Department Assistant, Design (Temporary)

Christie's•New York, NY

5d•$22 - $24

About The Position

Christie’s is seeking a temporary Department Assistant to support its Design Specialist team with research on artists and artworks for upcoming auctions. The role’s responsibilities vary according to the sale calendar and are suited to an enthusiastic, ambitious person eager to learn in a fast-paced, arts-focused environment. The assistant contributes to traditional and online research, including provenance, exhibition history, and literary research; helps with cataloguing, copyright clearance, auction production, and database updates; and supports proposal preparation and auction previews. The role also includes client-facing and administrative support, such as responding to requests for condition reports and images, coordinating specialist schedules and client communications, maintaining department records, handling expenses, and completing other tasks assigned by the line manager.

Requirements

Be an undergraduate student, master’s student, or have graduated from an undergraduate or master’s program within the past year.
Be hard-working, energetic, intellectually curious, and self-starting, with the ability to thrive in a high-pressure environment.
Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including strong written and spoken communication.
Be able to multitask and manage several projects at once.
Prioritize work and meet deadlines.
Work collaboratively across multiple groups and sites.
Remain calm in stressful situations and creatively solve problems.
Have strong follow-up skills and attention to detail.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in Excel, including familiarity with Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP, match formulas, and macros.
Additional language skills.

Responsibilities

Research works for upcoming sales using Christie’s onsite libraries, public libraries in New York City, auction databases, and other relevant online resources.
Assist with provenance, exhibition history, and literary research.
Assist cataloguers at the Rockefeller Center and Red Hook Brooklyn warehouses.
Obtain copyright clearance for images used in sales and catalogue production.
Input information and edits into Christie’s databases.
Support proposal preparation.
Assist with collecting and delivering bespoke items to clients’ homes, handling items with care and discretion.
Assist with installing auction previews.
Maintain the department library and consignor files.
Respond to client inquiries for condition reports, images, and fact sheets.
Support auction production by editing images, writing short texts as needed, and formatting detailed caption documents for designers.
Manage scheduling, including meetings and offsite travel, on behalf of specialists.
Reconcile and submit corporate card expenses for approval through internal systems.
Compose and edit client communications as required.
Assist specialists with client relationships, including meeting arrangements, mailings, correspondence, and follow-up action points.
Answer and screen incoming telephone calls.
Greet clients on behalf of the business.
Complete general administrative tasks assigned by the line manager.