Christie's and Sotheby's

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Who is the man who blew the whistle on the US auction houses?

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The whistle-blower is Christopher Davidge, a third-generation Christie's employee who became the boss. His grandfather was a porter who worked for the firm for 40 years. His widow received a small pension on condition that her son worked for the company. Davidge chose to sell shirts in Petticoat Lane, but was asked to work to Christie's in the mid-60s. In 1993 he became the chief executive. In 1998, French tycoon Francois Pinault bought Christie's for �770m, but they didn't get along. It's not clear why Davidge shopped Christie's and Sotheby's, but rumour has it that he felt his redundancy package was too mean.