Peter Joram Batkin (11 April 1953 – 12 January 2018) was an English auctioneer known for his activities in Russia. He sold the book collection of the spy

Kim Philby Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby (1 January 191211 May 1988) was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring which had divulged British secr ...

and was instrumental in the creation of the space memorabilia auction market. Batkin, who was of Russian descent, attended

St Marylebone Grammar School St Marylebone Grammar School (SMGS) was a grammar school located in the London borough of the City of Westminster, from 1792 to 1981. History Philological School Founded as the Philological Society by Thomas Collingwood, under the patronage of ...

from 1964 to 1971 before starting his career in

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

as a porter; he was to remain with the company from 1973 to 2000, ending his time there as a Director and at one time was the company's "man in Russia". According to Art Historian Michel Strauss, Batkin was "an expansive and generous man, immaculately and exotically dressed in a pin-striped suit, bow tie and two-tone shoes" who was "regularly sent out to Russia to make connections with museum and government officials..." He was a familiar sight in the dining clubs of London, was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and was a member of The Eccentric Club, the latter paying tribute to him as "a true gentleman and a caring soul."Obituary for Peter Batkin
- ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' -19 January 2018 His reputation as a cigar smoker is immortalised in a painting hung in the St James, London cigar specialist JJ Fox's. Very proud of his Jewish heritage, Batkin was a member of

Belsize Square Synagogue Belsize Square Synagogue is a continental Liberal Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Belsize Park, Hampstead, in the Borough of Camden, London, England, in the United Kingdom. The congregation is independent of the two Progressiv ...

in London. He lived in

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

with his wife, Judith Madeline Kellermann. After retiring from the art world Batkin developed his long-running interest in film-making, working on an exposé on corruption in marathon running. With his wife and son, he also started a commercial cleaning firm, Bespoke Cleaning. Peter Batkin died in January 2018 after suffering a stroke. He was survived by his widow Dr Judith Kellermann and their children Tobias and Alice.

References

1953 births 2018 deaths People educated at St Marylebone Grammar School English auctioneers People from Ealing Sotheby's people English Jews English people of German-Jewish descent English art collectors English Freemasons 20th-century English businesspeople {{England-bio-stub