13 November 2014
Christie’s has made history with its Post-War and Contemporary Art sale by setting the record for the highest total achieved for any auction. The auction totalled $852,887,000 (£535,986,570/ €682,309,600), with strong sell-through rates of 97% by value and 94% by lot. Bidders from around the world competed for an exceptional array of Abstract Expressionist, Pop […]
12 November 2014
It was an astronomical result by anyones estimation Alberto Giacometti’s “Chariot,” which sold for $100,965,000 broke the hundred million dollar ceiling. It was also the highest single lot accounting for 1/4 of the total in a sale at Sotheby’s, which included 74 lots, in its Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale. Last Tuesday the hedge […]
11 November 2014
Sotheby’s placed under the hammer the prestigious collection of Rachel “Bunny” Mellon on Monday night, the auction houses experts called the collection – of modern and contemporary works that spanned 400 years -“one of the last great private American collections formed in the 20th century.” On its completetion the auction made over £100 million, exceeding […]
6 November 2014
A work by Edouard Manet has set a new auction record for the French impressionist. ‘Spring’, a portrait of a French actress, sold at Christie’s in New York for £40.6 million, a sum that almost doubled the previous record of £20.7 million for a work by Manet. The oil painting was in the possession of […]
6 November 2014
Wang Zhongjun, the chairman of Huayi Brothers film studio in China has purchased Van Gogh’s painting “Still Life, Vase with Daisies and Poppies”, at Sotheby’s New York, Tuesday for £39m $61.8m. Zhongjun is one of China’s wealthiest men. A spokesperson for the Huayi Brothers have not commented on the sale however,last year Jianlin’s Wanda Group […]
5 November 2014
Sotheby’s Autumn Impressionist and Modern sale in New York has realised $422 million, against presale expectations of $316.5–424.9 million. This has been a record breaker for the auction room setting the highest-ever auction total in Sotheby’s history. Alberto Giacometti sculpture, “Chariot” has sold at Sotheby’s New York for $101 million. The 1950 sculpture depicts a […]
3 November 2014
New figures show sales decreasing in the UK but growing globally; Britain’s status as a centre for the international art market is under threat from New York and other overseas locations. Sales of fine art and antiques in the UK dropped by 3 percent to £8 billion in 2013, juxtaposed with a growth in worldwide […]
27 October 2014
Christie’s Shanghai has celebrated their first year of launch with a series of auctions that mark Christie’s activities in the city. Modern and contemporary art, wine, jewellery, watches and the new category of Chinese Contemporary Design sold to both Chinese and international clients throughout the day in sales that realized RMB 132,350,000.00 /US$21,674,692. “Collectors have […]
22 October 2014
The 12th edition of Frieze London is a fading memory as many of the same international dealers prepare for the FIAC Paris public launch tomorrow. Many of the participating galleries praised this year’s Frieze for energy and the new layout. This year, Frieze London brought 162 galleries from 25 territories under one roof with visitor […]
21 October 2014
A significant collection of works, never before on the market, by Man Ray will be offered at Sotheby’s, Paris on 15 November. Drawings, Objects, Jewellery, Chess and Film. This will be the very last opportunity to acquire works by Man Ray coming directly from the studio of the artist, the artist’s estate. Following the first […]
18 October 2014
At Sotheby’s London, eight bidders drove Piero Manzoni’s monumental Achrome well beyond pre-sale expectations to £12,626,500 or €15,872,822 – the estimate was between 5 to 7 million pounds. This establishes the highest price across all the Frieze auctions this week. The work by Manzoni was the top lot in an evening sale where collectors battled […]
14 October 2014
Sigmar Polke’s status had a further boost at Christie’s London on Monday; with the evening sale of the Essl Collection, the prices for the German artist’s work increased, with five works by Polke originally estimated at an aggregate price of £8 million, ended up selling for just over £16 million, bringing Polke closer to his […]
11 October 2014
Sotheby’s is presenting a large selection of ‘Warhol’s Women’, portraits of iconic superstars and muses, November 11-12, as part of their NY contemporary art evening sale. With estimates from $1 million to $30 million. On 11 and 12 November an unprecedented line up of Andy Warhol’s best known female stars. The selection of seven paintings […]
9 October 2014
Sotheby’s will be offering Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s watercolour version of Venus Verticordia in London on 10 December 2014. The Pre-Raphaelite artist’s obsession with luscious sensuality and female allure reached its zenith in his only major nude subject, and the picture led to the breaking of Rossetti’s friendship with John Ruskin, Victorian Britain’s leading art critic. […]
7 October 2014
Tim Hunter the former Director of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s is spearheading Falcon Fine Art, a Fine Art subsidiary of the Falcon Group aimed at offering financial innovation to this under-utilised asset. The Falcon Group has established Falcon Fine Art (FFA) – a new division of the group aimed at enabling high-net-worth individuals […]
6 October 2014
Sotheby’s New York will present The Schlumberger Collection this November. The magnificent compendium of Modern and Contemporary masterworks acquired by distinguished collectors and benefactors, Pierre and São Schlumberger brings together over 90 outstanding works from the Twentieth Century with a combined estimate in excess of $85 million and is led by Mark Rothko’s pivotal canvas […]
3 October 2014
Two major sculptures by the American artist Jeff Koons will go under the hammer at Christie’s and Sotheby’s this Autumn. Both works of art belong to well know collectors. Moon (Yellow) comes to market at Sotheby’s and is owned by the Turner Prize winning artist Damien Hirst. It was part of his MurderMe collection. The […]
24 September 2014
The 2014 LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair opened last night with a glittering preview event hosted by the association’s President Earl Howe and Chairman Lord Chadlington. A number of VIP collectors attended, with queues eventually filling Mayfair’s Berkeley Square and a total footfall for preview day reaching a record- breaking 5288. Guests enjoyed Lanson champagne […]
24 September 2014
Jeff Koons’s monumental sculpture Balloon Dog (Orange) has set a new world auction record for a living artist. The iconic work by the controversial American artist achieved the sum of $58,405,000 – that being £36,795,150, or €43,219,700, at Christie’s Post-War & Contemporary Evening Sale in New York on November 12, 2013. According to new figures […]
10 September 2014
Christie’s has announced the sale of 44 major Post-War works from The Essl Collection which will be sold in a landmark, stand-alone evening auction in London on Monday, 13 October 2014. The sale will be comprised of master works by many giants of German Post-War and Contemporary Art including Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz, Martin Kippenberger, […]
6 September 2014
Two iconic portraits by Andy Warhol featuring Elvis Presley and Marlon Brando, two of the most important male celebrities in Warhol’s pantheon of stars will go under the hammer at Christie’s New York ,this autumn, on November 12th. Triple Elvis and Four Marlons are expected to realize in the region of $130 million. “As such […]
30 August 2014
The Essl Collection which is one of Europe’s finest collections of contemporary art is to be liquidated. The 7,000 works will be sold off in London, this October after Karlheinz Essl the owner of the BauMax hardware store chain suffered near-insolvency. The collection was organised as a non-profit private foundation and is an important part […]
30 August 2014
The sale of a Portuguese collection of 85 works by the spanish Surrealist artist Joan Miró will go ahead now that a judge has overturned a ruling banning the export of the art. The judge stated yesterday that the works are not of ‘cultural heritage’ and therefore could leave the country for an auction at […]
21 August 2014
Christie‟s Auctioneers has announced the opening of a new home and a multi-purpose art space at Shanghai‟s historical Bund, one year after their inaugural sale in mainland China. To mark the occasion, Christie‟s will present its Shanghai autumn auctions on 24 October featuring an evening sale of Asian and Western 20th Century and Contemporary Art, […]
8 August 2014
Sotheby’s net auction sales increased 24% to $2.7 billion on strong global sales during the period – particularly in Hong Kong and London – which led to an 18% increase in auction commission revenues to $403.8 million as compared to the prior year. “Sotheby’s is seeing success across categories and around the world,” said Chairman, […]
7 August 2014
New industry figures have revealed that the international art market has grown by 17% to $7 billion in the first six months of 2014. The French company Artprice stated that art sold at the major auction houses have totalled $7.15 billion ($5.22 billion euros). This has increased from the $6.11 billion figures crunched in the […]
30 July 2014
Edward Dolman, the executive director and acting chief executive of The Qatar Museums Authority has revealed that he is taking over the reins at Phillips Auctioneers, the fourth largest auction house in the world. Mr. Dolman, 54, spent 27-years at Christie’s where he was chief executive and chairman before his departure. He has now decided […]
17 July 2014
A work of art by the best known YBA artist Damien Hirst is to be offered for sale at Sotheby’s in Doha, Qatar, on 13th October 2014. Carrying a price estimate of $1,000,000–1,500,000 ‘Tranquility’ explores the subject of the struggle between life and death. Hirst’s butterfly works are described by the auction house as ‘a […]
16 July 2014
Auction sales at Sotheby’s during the first half of 2014 have grown faster than any other international house. With a growth of some 22%*, Sotheby’s witnessed record sales in a number of key categories, leading the market in many of the areas widely considered as the most important indicators of its overall health. The highest […]
16 July 2014
Christie’s has announced sales of £2.69 billion, up 12% ($4.47 billion, up 22%), for the half year ending 30 June 2014. Christie’s successful strategy to connect with more collectors globally underpins the results, with the figures driven by an increase in the value of artworks sold across categories, geographies and price levels. Digital engagement and […]
14 July 2014
Sotheby’s and eBay have announced today a partnership that will unite the global leader in online shopping with the number two global auctioneer. Together, they are developing an innovative online platform that will make it easier for millions of people worldwide to discover, browse and acquire exceptional works of art, antiques and collectables. It is […]
11 July 2014
Christies evening auction of classical decorative arts has realised £31,048,500/ $53,186,081/€38,934,819, marking the highest total for any and breaking the previous record established by Christie’s Exceptional Sale in 2011 at £28.7million. The top price was paid for a controversial Egyptian statue of Sekhemka, made of painted limestone. The statue dating to the Old Kingdom, Late […]