In Conversation with an Expert: Why Daniel Heikens Loves Classical Art and Photography

One of the things that makes Catawiki so special is the presence of our in-house experts. They are specialists in their field, passionate about our objects and committed to finding the most rare, special and unique objects for auction. But how much do you know about the role of an expert at Catawiki? What makes these people decide to turn a passion into their everyday job? We sat down with our lead Art Photography and Classic Art expert, Daniel Heikens, and talked about about his life as a Catawiki expert. Find out what he had to say... 

The Role of an Expert
For Daniel Heikens, the best thing about being an expert at Catawiki is the freedom that the job gives him. He feels like there is a lot of room for new ideas, because the company is growing extremely fast, which allows him to be innovative. Like all our experts who work in their respective fields, Daniel's most important responsibility is screening and approving submitted lots and putting auctions together from the best submissions. Daily tasks also include answering all sorts of questions from sellers and buyers concerning specific items or entire auctions.

Catawiki's Art Photography and Classic Art expert, Daniel Heikens

Daniel says he is pretty strict when assessing lots which have been submitted for auction, but this is only because he wants the best possible results. 'I require complete information and clear pictures. But I also think that sellers can feel my infinite passion for art photography, which is why they trust me with their work.' 

For some experts, including Daniel, there are some extra responsibilities. In addition to his usual daily tasks, Daniel also visits some of the sellers in order to better evaluate their items and find a perfect spot for them in one of our art auctions. Another ‘extra’ for Daniel is that he is a lead auctioneer, which means that he is often in contact with other experts; brainstorming and making strategies on how they can improve their work. 

Joining Catawiki
What made Daniel decide to join Catawiki's team of experts? With a smile he said that he never thought this would be his career path. He recalls that when he started his studies he was fully focused on the creative part of art and didn’t really care about the commercial part of the business. Daniel started trading photography in 2007/2008, when the economy collapsed, because making a living as an artist had become difficult. He continued: 'This welcomed me into the commercial part of art photography and I learnt there was a whole world to discover within my expertise. Over the years I specialised and now it has brought me here. I opened up a Catawiki magazine, saw they were looking for experts, I sent in an open letter and a few weeks later I was hired!'

A shot out of Daniel Heikens his private collection

We asked Daniel what makes the job of an expert special and what’s in it for him. He passionately explained that this job is 'the best of both worlds'. He often feels like he is discovering a new treasure each time a nice lot comes in. He loves that he doesn’t have to explain to other collectors that a part of collecting is also getting rid of items - he just has to sell them! Daniel shared with us that he is very pleased with the amount of lots he is handling - which was 20,000 in 2016 alone - and that dealing with so many items has given him the opportunity to learn new things all the time. 

If you're an art photography fan, why not check out our Art Photography auction to see what Daniel and his team have selected this week for their auctions and perhaps add to your collection?

Or would you like to have Daniel or one of our other experts help you sell some of your vintage photography collection or other exceptional objects? Sign up to become a seller and start offering up you special objects for auction straight away! They can't wait to see what you have to offer!