Crispian Riley-Smith Fine Arts Ltd works as a Valuer and Consultant and Dealer.
Mr Riley-Smith has been working in the art market since 1989 and one of his areas of expertise is Fine Master Drawings from the sixteenth century to early twentieth centuries. He has also curated a number of contemporary exhibitions in Yorkshire.
He is founding Director of London Art Week, and initiated and established Master Drawings London in 2001. He sold Master Drawings New York Ltd, in March 2023, which he co-foundered in 2006.
In October 2022 he launched Art Advisory Group Ltd.
Mr Riley-Smith has also written articles which have been published in Apollo; County Life, Antique Collecting and Master Drawings Journal. He has lectured for various groups including the York Georgian Society and Kirker Holidays including lecture tours around country houses in Yorkshire. Since 1998 he has also worked as a consultant to Bonham’s, both in the UK and USA, providing his expertise consultancy services in Old Master Drawings.
Another area of expertise is advising private clients in many areas in the art market, due to his own unique and extensive experience of having worked for all the main auction houses and in the trade. In addition to this he advises Private Collectors, Institutional buyers and Museums in the buying and selling of fine drawings and paintings at auction or from dealers, valuations for probate, for Canadian Cultural Heritage, for Insurance and other Tax purposes.
His interest in the Fine Arts started as a student at Eton College, where he studied Art History, and had an extensive practical experience as a student in sculpture, and winning the senior Sculpture Prize. He went on to study Art History at University and as a student at St. Andrews University in Scotland where I gained an MA with Honours. With summer jobs at the Guggenheim Museum in Venice and Sotheby's in Florence after graduation he joined Sotheby's London as a graduate trainee working in various departments from Impressionist pictures to Jewellery. He had some work experience at the British Museum, assisting a keeper in the Prints & Drawings Department. He joined Phillips, Son & Neale and worked there for four years. In 1994 he was instrumental in arranging the loan of the collection of the 'De Pass Master Drawings Collection, from the Royal Truro Museum', an exhibition that travelled from Phillips offices in London to Truro in Cornwall. Regarding the auctions he made a notable discovery, from a private European collection, of a drawing in red chalk of 'Susannah and the Elders' by Guercino, which fetched a work record price at auction for the artist, and was to remain so for 20 years. He went on to gain further practical experience as an artist and studied life drawing in evening classes at Heatherly’s School of Art, where he learnt just how difficult it is to be a professional artist! An opportunity arose to join the Old Master Drawings Department at Christie's where he worked till 1998. Whilst at Christie's he worked on all the major auctions and valuations during this period. In February 1998 he started his own business.