– Ron Bourgeault, president, founder and principal auctioneer of Northeast Auctions, has announced that Chris Jussel is joining Northeast Auctions effective October 1. Jussel will be headquartered in Portsmouth at 93 Pleasant Street, but will spend a great deal of time assisting clients in the New York metropolitan area as well as other parts of the country.
In 1972 Jussel joined his family’s firm, Vernay & Jussel, in New York City. Established in 1906, Vernay & Jussel dealt in fine English furniture and was one of the oldest established antiques businesses in America. In 1994, Jussel closed the business and became a private consultant to clients in England as well as America. In 1996 he was tapped as the original host of Antiques Roadshow, which quickly became PBS’s most watched television show. He joined Sotheby’s in 1999, were he was a senior vice president in the Trusts and Estates division. He left Sotheby’s earlier this year.
“Chris and I have known each other for many years,” said Bourgeault. “We go back to the early 1970s when we were both young dealers exhibiting at antiques shows. We paid our dues exhibiting at Lake Forest, Grosse Pointe, Houston and the Winter Antiques Show. Neither rain nor snow kept us from loading trucks until midnight, driving those trucks for days on end, unpacking, setting up booths and then jumping into a business suit for an early evening preview party.”
Jussel echoes Bourgeault’s sentiments; “Working with Ron and his wonderful organization of people is an exciting new chapter in my career which I look forward to with great enthusiasm. It provides me with an opportunity to work very closely with my many friends in the antiques world: collectors, dealers, designers and museum curators. Additionally, I look forward to helping to contribute to the great success Ron has achieved at Northeast Auctions.”
Everyone at Northeast Auctions is looking forward to having Chris Jussel join the team. In recent years Northeast Auctions has grown, grossing more than $25 million dollars per year. One of Northeast Auctions’ main goals is to provide personal service to clients selling fine and decorative arts; Jussell will assist on many levels in that area.
Jussel will be joining a team well-known to the antiques market. Albert Sack, the dean of American antique furniture and author of Good, Better, Best, is a full-time consultant in American furniture. Another member of the team is Carl Crossman, an author and expert in the field of the China Trade, as well as an authority on paintings and prints as a former owner of Child’s Gallery of Boston. Through archeology Crossman is a student of English and Continental ceramics for the American market. Merrilee Possner, with a degree in American folk art, has been with Northeast Auctions for more than ten years producing catalog entries with in-depth research. Scott Cousins, the director of operations, “can make anything happen” according to the auctioneer — from moving crystal chandeliers out of the attic of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to driving a collection of historical Staffordshire across the country from the Los Angeles County Museum to arrive in time for inclusion in the upcoming October 31-November 2 auction in Manchester, N.H.
“Ron has built over the past several decades an incomparable team and a stellar reputation in the auction world,” said Jussel. “It is a great honor to be asked to be a part of his team. I take particular interest, of course, in expanding Northeast’s sales of English and European furniture and decorations.”
For information call 603-433-8400, or email cjussel@northeastauctions.com.
