Sotheby's Vice Chairman Hugh Hildesley Honored By Her Majesty The Queen

Sotheby's Vice Chairman Hugh Hildesley Honored By Her Majesty The Queen

Awarded an MBE - Member of the Order of the British Empire - For Services to Charity
Continues Strong Tradition of Charitable Support at Sotheby's

NEW YORK, June 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotheby's (NYSE: BID) is pleased to announce that Hugh Hildesley, Vice Chairman, Trusts & Estates, has received an MBE – Member of the Order of the British Empire – in recognition of his services to charity. The award was announced as part of the annual Queen's Birthday Honours, which recognizes the achievements of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom.

Hildesley joined Sotheby's in 1961 and was among the first employees to move from London to New York when the Company expanded to the United States in 1964. After a 12-year break from the art world when he became a rector at The Episcopal Church of Heavenly Rest on the Upper East Side, Hildesley returned to Sotheby's in 1995 and began his work as a benefit auctioneer in earnest, all while working on behalf of Sotheby's business development efforts, and training and mentoring generations of auctioneers. Since then, he has conducted an average of 50 benefit auctions per year and raised over $250 million for causes including health and education.

Hildesley's commitment to charity exemplifies the strong tradition of support for philanthropic organizations at Sotheby's. Each year our auctions support numerous causes – from cancer research and disaster relief to education and the arts. Just this year, Sotheby's has already held auctions to benefit victims of the California wildfires, as well as for the prison arts charity the Koestler Trust, the Mandel Foundation and The Studio Museum in Harlem, and Outside In, a charity providing a platform for artists who find it difficult to access the art world, and, just last year, 'Art for Grenfell' – a charity auction to which artists donated works in order to raise funds for those affected by the Grenfell Tower Fire.

In addition to the charity auctions and exhibitions held at Sotheby's, dozens of Sotheby's employees – Lord Dalmeny, Oliver Barker, Marlous Jens and Elyse Dreyer among them – dedicate their time to support important organizations around the world. From January 2018 to date, 32 Sotheby's employees worldwide have conducted auctions on behalf of charitable causes, helping to raise over $11.6 million dollars for organizations such as The Barbican Trust, The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and Children in Crisis.

Sotheby's dedication to philanthropy extends beyond the auction room to the Bid for Better Corporate Social Responsibility Program, which offers dynamic programming for young people who may not otherwise be exposed to the arts or find a career in the art world. Since its inception in 2015, through partnerships with Prep for Prep, Success Academy Charter Schools, Urban Arts Partnership and others, hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds have participated in intimate and intensive programming introducing them to the arts and the possibility of careers in the field. Additionally, hundreds of Sotheby's employees around the world have had the opportunity to engage with their communities and lend their time and expertise.  

"As a global leader in the world of art and luxury, we recognize and embrace our responsibility to give back to the communities in which we operate," said Tad Smith, Sotheby's President & CEO, adding, "We are very proud of our tradition of giving and the passion and commitment of our employees around the world."

About Sotheby's
Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection, artist, estate & foundation advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby's presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Global Fine Art Division, and three retail businesses: Sotheby's Wine, Sotheby's Diamonds, and Viyet, the online marketplace for interior design. Sotheby's has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

*Estimates do not include buyer's premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.

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SOURCE Sotheby's