Christie’s Launches Pop Culture Division, Appoints Josh Benesh as Director

Christie’s announced on September 23 the creation of a pop culture department, appointing Josh Benesh, formerly Chief Strategy Officer at Heritage Auctions, as its inaugural director. The blue-chip auction house will hold multiple annual sales covering on-screen entertainment, music, sports, science, history, and fashion, according to a spokesperson. The move follows the record-breaking sale of billionaire Jim Irsay’s collection, which totaled over $105 million across five auctions and became the highest-earning memorabilia auction in Christie’s history. Irsay died last May. His estate sale featured a pair of Ford’s Theatre tickets from the night of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the first drum set Ringo Starr used with the Beatles, a Golden Ticket prop from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), and one of Muhammad Ali’s fight robes. The division aims to attract millennial and Gen Z buyers, reflecting strong market demand for pop culture memorabilia.