Alexander Gilkes
Alexander Mark Heming Gilkes (born July 1979) 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, until stepping down 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."[2][3][4][5]
Alexander Gilkes | |
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Born | Alexander Mark Heming Gilkes[1] July 1979 Camden, London, England |
Nationality | British |
Education | Eton College University of Bristol |
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouse(s) |
Early life
Gilkes is the son of Jeremy Gilkes, a dermatologist, and was born and raised in London.[6][7] He was educated at Eton College and at the University of Bristol.[6]
Career
Gilkes has been based in New York since 2008.[6] Prior to founding Squared Circles, he founded Paddle8 in 2011, which made over $140m in sales in 2015[8]. Prior to that, Gilkes served as an auctioneer at Phillips de Pury & Company and worked at LVMH. Gilkes stepped down from his role at Paddle8 in 2018, to found Squared Circles.[9][10]
Gilkes has served as auctioneer for auctions including Madonna's Raising Malawi,[11] Elton John AIDS Foundation[12] and amFAR.[13]
Gilkes has been named as one of Fast Company's Most Creative Entrepreneurs in 2017,[14] the 100 Most Powerful People in the Art World (Art + Auction) in 2014, 2015 and 2016, a Digital Maverick (DETAILS), one of the 40 Most Important People Under 40 (Apollo) and appeared on Vanity Fair and GQ's best-dressed lists.[15] He serves on the board of the New York Academy of Art.[16]
Personal life
Gilkes married fashion designer Misha Nonoo in Venice, Italy in July 2012.[17] In 2016, it was reported that they had broken up.[18] The divorce was finalised in the summer of 2017.[19] Since 2018, Gilkes has been in a relationship with Russian former tennis player Maria Sharapova.[20]
References
- "Alexander Mark Heming GILKES - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- "The Aesthete: Alexander Gilkes talks personal taste". 5 December 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- Kolodny, Lora (6 June 2013). "Paddle8 Raises $6M to Do for Fine Art What StubHub Does for Concert Tickets – Venture Capital Dispatch – WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- "With Big-Name Backing And Some eBay Flavor, These Startups Are Looking To Shake Up The Art Market". TechCrunch. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- Meet Paddle8’s Alexander Gilkes, Art Auction Disruptor | Observer
- Bernstein, Jacob (29 October 2014). "Meet Alexander Gilkes, Co-Founder of Paddle8, an Online Auction House". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- Maffucci, Samantha (31 August 2018). "Who Is Maria Sharapova's Boyfriend? New Details on Alexander Gilkes". Yahoo. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- Merced, Michael J. de la (12 May 2016). "2 Online Art Auctioneers to Merge and Go Global". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- Solway, Diane. "New Kid on the Block". W Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- Chou, Kimberly (14 December 2012). "Art Site Takes Charitable Turn". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "Madonna and Bulgari—Along With Ariana Grande, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dave Chappelle—Party in Miami for Raising Malawi". Vogue. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- Reginato, James. "The Elton John AIDS Foundation Pulled Out All the Stops at Its Fall Gala". Vanities. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- Lee, Denny (8 February 2018). "amfAR Kicks Off New York Fashion Week". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "Alexander Gilkes, Most Creative People | Fast Company". Fast Company. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "Alexander Gilkes: Executive Profile & Biography – Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "Downtown Art School that Warhol Started Raises its Celebrity Profile". The New York Times. 26 April 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- Solway, Diane. "Alexander Gilkes and Misha Nonoo Wed in Venice". W Magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- "Meet Meghan Markle's Friend, Fashion Designer Misha Nonoo". Town & Country. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- "Meet the woman rumoured to have matchmade Meghan and Harry". Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- "Who Is Maria Sharapova's Boyfriend, Alexander Gilkes?". Essentially Sports. 29 December 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.