Skiing in Livigno, Italy
28. March 2023
With Cheyenne Westphal – the Queen of Arts
A Whatsapp call to a house in Notting Hill, London. Cheyenne Westphal is at the other end of the line. A pleasant and calm voice. We speak German, her mother tongue, and sometimes you can hear that Cheyenne speaks mostly English. She has lived in the United Kingdom since the late 1980s. She studied art history in St. Andrews, Scotland and then contemporary art in Berkeley, California. In 1992 she started working for Sotheby’s auction house, stayed there for more than two decades and rose to become head of contemporary art. Then, in 2016, the headline in all the media: Cheyenne had allowed herself to be poached. In March 2017, she moved to Phillips auction house as Global Chairwoman, a success story.
Her network of contacts with collectors, artists and dealers spans the globe and the list of sensational, multi-million dollar record sales under her leadership is impressive long. Last year, Phillips clearly cracked the one billion turnover mark thanks to landmark sales such as Gerhard Richter’s „Jet Fighter“ for $20 million, Pablo Picasso’s „Sleeping“ $57 million and, to top it all off, a work by Jean-Michel Basquiat from an Asian collection fetched $85 million.
Forbes magazine calls Cheyenne Westphal one of the most powerful dealers of contemporary art and the London Times calls her Queen of Arts.
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- Cheyenne Westphal in the middle of the current design exhibiton at Phillips, Berkeley Square
When I suggested to her that I would write an article with her recommendations for a royal art weekend in London, the answer came pretty quickly: „Great idea! We’ll do that.“ And in parts, it’s things we did together when I visited her last November and I promise anyone booking a flight to the island now, will be a memorable, pretty cool weekend. If it’s for the coronation of Charles III on 6 May, then quickly book a ticket for one of the Coronation Live Screens in Hyde Park, for example (info: coronation.gov.uk).
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- Marcel, Le Corgi sitting on grass outside Hampton Court, London
Let’s go! Arrive in London and check in either at the Portobello Hotel, where Kate Moss and Johnny Depp had an affair in the 1990s, and that is the second home of many celebrities. „The hotel is very British made. I definitely recommend it,“ says Cheyenne. Or book a room at the luxurious Chiltern Firehouse. „It’s a super cool hotel. It used to be a London firehouse. You meet a lot of celebrities at the bar, but sure, you’re not allowed to take pictures.“
Then jump in an Uber and head to Somerset House in The Strand. On the first floor of the Courtauld Gallery, all art fans are flashed: World-famous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces hang concentrated in a single room. Examples? Van Gogh’s self-portrait with bandaged ear, Édouard Manet’s bar in the Folies Bergère, Cézanne’s card players or Gauguin’s Tahiti paintings – visual pleasure at its best!
In the adjoining room, the latest paintings by Peter Doig from 2016 to the present are on display. Doig is one of the most influential and also most expensive painters of the present day and lives in London. Absolutely worth seeing!
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- Stylish and cosy – the Portobello Hotel
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- Old master paitings in The National Gallery
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- Van Gogh’s famous self-portrait in the Courtauld Gallery
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- The bar of the Folies Bergères seen through the mirror image
Around 4-5pm it’s time for a quintessentially British tradition! High Tea! „I recommend going to one of the classy hotels like The Connaught or Claridge’s for this. It’s something you should indulge in. Tea, scones with cream and strawberry jam, little cakes and champagne – it’s really celebrated here and you can spend a good two hours doing it. But it’s often fully booked.“
In the evening, Cheyenne likes to go to the theatre and her tip is the award-winning play „The Lehman Trilogy“ at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. „It’s the exciting story about the three Lehman brothers who emigrated to the US.“ Perfect with this: a pre- or after-dinner at the J Sheekey in Soho.
And on Saturday morning? Shopping – either casual-young or classy and expensive. There’s a market on Portobello Road and you’ll find a colourful mix of antiques, vintage fashion and London souvenirs. Plus, around the corner you can feast your way around the world at food stalls. An alternative for fine, international street food: Camden Market.
For super-luxury shopping: Dover Street Market, Oxford Street or Covent Garden are good addresses. But also around the beautiful garden square Berkeley Square, where Phillips has its headquarters and Cheyenne its office, the boutiques of the famous fashion labels line the streets, especially in New Bond Street.
For a different kind of art experience than the classic Somerset House, Cheyenne recommends the Lightroom with an environment designed by David Hockney. „It’s quite grand.“ The Southbank Centre is another place she likes to visit on the south bank of the Thames. The huge arts complex combines music, art and theatre and offers exhibitions such as the current one on David Bowie’s album Aladdin Sane and the legendary cover photo, the “ Mona Lisa of Pop“.
Then fancy some Mexican-Japanese fusion cuisine? Los Mochis in the heart of Notting Hill is one of Cheyenne’s favourite restaurants. „It’s very special. Anyone who goes in here will have fun. Fusion cooking is well known and common in England. It’s based on the traditions of the Commonwealth.“
Cheyenne’s choice is also the restaurant-bar Gold on Portobello Road. „The food is seasonal, mixed, there’s lots of music and the bar is great for a nightcap.“
My personal recommendation at the end: visit Phillips‘ exhibition and find out in advance which auction is coming up and which exhibits are on display for sale accordingly (www.phillips.com). Phillips not only deals in 20th century and contemporary art, but also furniture, design, jewellery, watches, photographs and editions come under the auction hammer. Here you can discover fantastic and also affordable pieces.
The expertise: from the Queen of Arts.
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- Cheyenne Westphal surrounded by selected contemporary art at Phillips
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- Royal view of Buckingham Palace
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- Red telephone box filled with books underneath a pink magnolia tree
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- Picadilly Circus station
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- Man in an old style police uniform outside of the Sherlock Holmes Museum
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- Preparing for King Charles III coronation – military Guards riding down The Mall flanked by Union Jacks
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- Impressive view of London from the top of the London Eye
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- Enjoying afternoon tea in a decent hotel, a great british tradition
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- Another british and royal tradition – sipping a gin cocktail
Photo credits: VisitBritain (Andrew Pickett, Stuart Harper, Philipp Pley, Aurélie Four, Emmanuel Teikirisi, Bei Na, Hazel Parreno, Antoine Buchet, VisitLondon/Jon Reid (2), Phillips (2), Portobello Hotel and Petra Kirsch (2)
More Information / Mehr Infos: www.visitbritain.com www.visitlondon.com
