Simon de Pury is one of the art world's leading figures, renowned for his deep and long-standing knowledge of the global marketplace and his legendary performance at the auction podium. He generates excitement in the saleroom with a display of great wit and can conduct sales in four languages-English, French, German and Italian.

Born in Basel in 1951, Simon de Pury studied at The Academy of Fine Arts in Tokyo in the 1970s with an eye towards becoming a fine artist. After working at the Bern auctioneers, Kornfeld & Klipstein and subsequently studying at Sotheby's Institute, Simon de Pury joined Sotheby's working in London, Geneva and Monte Carlo. From 1979 through 1986, Simon de Pury curated the celebrated Thyssen-Bornemisza collection in Lugano.

In 1986, Simon de Pury returned to Sotheby’s first as Chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland and then as Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe and the company’s Principal Auctioneer. Throughout the 1990s, he conducted all of Sotheby’s major sales in Europe which included the Thurn und Taxis sale in Geneva and Regensburg, the Margrave sales in Baden-Baden and from 1994, all the major Impressionist sales in New York.

In 1997, Simon de Pury co-founded with Daniella Luxembourg, de Pury & Luxembourg Art, a Geneva-based art advisory firm. In 2001, this firm merged with Phillips Auctioneers to become Phillips, de Pury and Luxembourg which specialized in the sale of Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary art, Jewelry, Photography, and 20th and 21st Century Decorative Arts. In 2004, Simon de Pury became the majority shareholder of Phillips de Pury & Company.