Top 39 Quotes & Sayings by Alexander Gilkes

Explore popular quotes and sayings by a British businessman Alexander Gilkes.

Last updated on November 8, 2024.

Alexander Mark Heming Gilkes is a British businessman. He is the co-founder of Squared Circles, launched in 2020, and was the co-founder and president of Paddle8 from 2011 to 2018 when it was sold to The Native. Paddle8 is an online auction house for art and collectibles, described by FT as "reimagined art collecting for the digital age."

British - Businessman | Born: 1979

Source: Wikipedia

I'm a big believer in manners and respect: that one should never do to another what you wouldn't wish for yourself.

Alexander Gilkes

In Europe, there is a lower instance of startups because there's a permanent fear of failure. Everyone fears failure because it is this permanent black mark against your name, whereas in the U.S., failure seems to be par for the course.

Alexander Gilkes

I remember being led to a shed by my father for the unveiling of a beautiful bicycle, equipped with stabilizers, on Christmas Day. I must have been four or five and realized that this was my first ride into independence.

Alexander Gilkes

If I find an item of clothing I like, I tend to buy it in multiples.

Alexander Gilkes

If you're trying to learn how to collect art, the key is getting access to insider opinions, and we pride ourselves on working with the most relevant artists and the collectors with the most authoritative voices.

Alexander Gilkes

Unfortunately, chivalry seems to be on the decline, but let's hope that manners can remain important. I, for one, will certainly be an evangelist with it.

Alexander Gilkes

I was given a life-size iron sculpture of a heron by a godparent. It was so poorly made, that it looked more like a pterodactyl and was so unbalanced that it would continue to topple over and create huge divots in my bedroom floor with its sharp beak.

Alexander Gilkes

I was a rather tubby youngster, which was a complete surprise to my family.

Alexander Gilkes

I started my career at LVMH and then I joined Phillips de Pury under the tutelage of Simon de Pury as second auctioneer and head of marketing.

Alexander Gilkes

What you collect is the ultimate impartation of who you are. It's the archive of your identity - it's what you leave behind.

Alexander Gilkes

I am never without my gavel, which I bought from an antique shop in Burford, in the Cotswolds.

Alexander Gilkes

My father discovered that our family had made long-case clocks in Warwickshire in the early 18th century. He managed to track down a fine example through an English antiquarian and horologist and gifted it to me for my 30th birthday.

Alexander Gilkes

I spent lots of time on drama, music and art.

Alexander Gilkes

In terms of wedding gifts, I like to buy people experiences.

Alexander Gilkes

I think when you're collecting, the best advice is just 'see see see see.' The more you get used to the nuances of the art world and what people are doing and whose opinion matters, the more you can tune your own collection and know that these are works that do count; these are artists that will be of relevance tomorrow.

Alexander Gilkes

I once termed my sense of dress as 'urban farmer' and that became a perennial source of bullying from my friends, particularly my brother.

Alexander Gilkes

My brother and I have always had a great interest in people and building relationships. I probably have my parents to thank for that.

Alexander Gilkes

I feel a strong connection to water, so, no matter the time of year, I always go for a swim.

Alexander Gilkes

I'm a bit of a dynamite fisherman when it comes to cooking as I don't have the patience, but I am a huge foodie.

Alexander Gilkes

I always have my lucky gavel in case I have to do an auction on short notice.

Alexander Gilkes

I'm the son of a doctor, and the key to working in the art world is to have boundaries of discretion.

Alexander Gilkes

There is a heavy leaning to try and extract information from me, and I always have to clamp down.

Alexander Gilkes

There is such opacity within the art market. There's also an abundance of fraud and misrepresented goods, which leads to mistrust between buyers and sellers.

Alexander Gilkes

My father is someone I've always looked up to as the ultimate example of chivalry and humility, and someone who's just deeply kind and empathetic and selfless.

Alexander Gilkes

A great friend and mentor, Simon de Pury, invited me to be auctioneer at Phillips de Pury, which was a great honor.

Alexander Gilkes

We want as best as possible to encourage emerging talent and galleries by their inclusion on Paddle8. Our exhibitions help bring interesting new works on the platform. We have to be agnostic in that respect and the galleries themselves have complete carte blanche as far as what they include on the site.

Alexander Gilkes

I was given an eight-foot painting on a luminous yellow background as a parting gift when leaving Paris in 2008. I did not dare take it with me to N.Y.C. and understood that the cost of shipping would have far outweighed the cost of the work.

Alexander Gilkes

Celebrity is not something I consciously pursue.

Alexander Gilkes

Artists will always depend on the brick-and-mortar ecosystem to establish authority and context.

Alexander Gilkes

My dream, dream acquisition would probably be a Twombly chalkboard. I've been fortunate to see one or two in a private context, and I think it's just sort of quintessentially brilliant, timeless, modern.

Alexander Gilkes

We want to ensure works are placed with people who collect responsibly.

Alexander Gilkes

Our gutsy view of the world is that with time, there will be three auction houses: two serving the upper end of the market and Paddle8, serving the middle market.

Alexander Gilkes

Auctions typically are an opportunity for you to be able to acquire what you're looking for at a lower price; typically, the auctioneer sets the opening price at much lower than the retail price and certain interest develops and as more people come in it drives the price up.

Alexander Gilkes

We're big believers that people can learn to collect through the eyes of great collectors.

Alexander Gilkes

I'm a bit of a vault of secrets. I'm a victim of English reserve, which is slightly in contrast to how I communicate when I auction.

Alexander Gilkes

If I'm in the English countryside and get on my bicycle, I see what sort of strange inbred rural locals I can snap.

Alexander Gilkes

Our generation has become somewhat stripped of identity by the homogenizing effect of technology. So, more than ever, people want to project their own individuality.

Alexander Gilkes

I just love the idea of being able to have a place where friends and family can meet, where you can raise everything from chickens to llamas, and, you know, have an artist residency.

Alexander Gilkes

I respect people's privacy.

Alexander Gilkes

Top 39 Quotes & Sayings by Alexander Gilkes

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