Auction houses

Sotheby's does a U-turn on new fees structure

Less than a year ago, the auction house reduced buyer’s premium and tried to introduce a flat 10% vendor's commission to avoid bartering. It did not prove popular with sellers

Phillips auction house executive chairman Ed Dolman resigns

Martin Wilson, the chairman of the British Art Market Federation (Bamf), is joining as chief executive and will oversee global operations

Christie's results are down ‘just’ 6% in 2024, ‘despite challenging environment’

The house's auction total saw a double-digit decrease for a second year in a row—but private sales are booming

Fuller picture of Sotheby's mass layoffs emerges

Staff cuts at auction house come as $1bn deal with Abu Dhabi wealth fund closes 

Anny Shaw. With additional reporting by Anna Brady

MFA Boston's Old Master paintings could bring up to $3.8m at auction

The deaccessioned works, to be offered at Christie's in New York, include 17 pieces by Dutch and Flemish artists from the 17th century

The Year in Review: art market slump squeezes biggest players and Frieze for sale

The top end of the market failed to recover, while auction houses expanded in Hong Kong amid dramatic shifts in the city

Works by Basquiat, Haring and Hockney help Christie's 21st century evening sale net a healthy $106.5m

However, despite assistance from big names, it was emerging artists who were the real stars of the show

‘The world's most expensive banana’: Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian fetches $6.2m at Sotheby’s New York

The buyer, the collector and crypto investor Justin Sun, immediately vowed to eat the banana

For these US auction houses, Antiques Roadshow-style appraisal days have been a wise investment

“Every now and then you strike gold,” says the general manager of Bonhams Skinner

Painting by the AI robot Ai-Da sells for more than $1m at Sotheby’s

It’s a new record for a work of art created by a robot, the auction house says

Art marketanalysis

Christie’s and Sotheby’s pin hopes for New York November sales on single-owner collections

In a subdued market, the season’s most promising auctions are of estates

Art marketcomment

Comment | Popping the hood: what’s driving sales of luxury cars at auction houses

Christie's acquisition of Gooding & Company has renewed focus on collectible automobiles

Sotheby’s to hold first ever commercial auction in Saudi Arabia in February

The auction house will hold the sale in the historic town of Diriyah, offering Modern and contemporary art as well as handbags, cars and sports memorabilia

Technologyanalysis

How auction houses are embracing artificial intelligence

New services such as AI-enhanced translation are proving popular, even as human involvement remains crucial

Painting by AI robot Ai-Da could bring more than $120,000 at Sotheby's

The robotic brainchild of British gallerist Aidan Meller will make her auction debut on Halloween

Large Ed Ruscha gas station painting could bring more than $50m at Christie's after star turns at Lacma and MoMA

The 1964 painting was a prominent feature in the artist’s recent travelling retrospective

Art marketanalysis

Amid cutbacks, big art market players are still chasing growth

Mega-dealers and auction houses are shrinking some areas while expanding others

'A statement in difficult times': Christie's opens new Hong Kong headquarters

The auction house will hold its first live evening sale in the new Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Henderson Building today

Late Freud nude to make auction debut in London with £10m-£15m estimate

Ria, Naked Portrait (2006-07) depicts an art handler who approached the artist, then in his 80s, to pose for the painting

Magritte painting could bring more than $95m at Christie's marquee New York sales this autumn

If it goes for the auction house's estimate, "L'empire des lumières" (1954), from the collection of late interior designer Mica Ertegun, would set an auction record for the Surrealist artist

Christie's will become first global auction house to operate in Saudi Arabia

With the announcement of Riyadh-based managing director Nour Kelani, the firm hopes to deepen ties with the Kingdom's collectors and ambitious cultural projects

Christie’s to acquire classic car auction house

Gooding & Company was founded in 2003 by a former Christie’s director

Bonhams will move New York headquarters to historic site on Billionaires' Row

The auction house is expected to relocate its New York operation to 57th Street by the end of 2025

Sotheby’s core earnings down by 88%, according to Financial Times report

A document sent to investors, and seen by the newspaper, ahead of investment from Abu Dhabi’s wealth fund also reveals a 25% drop in auction sales

Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund to acquire minority stake in Sotheby's

Patrick Drahi will remain auction house's majority shareholder in $1bn deal, as ADQ buys shares to "reduce leverage" and support "growth and innovation"

Bonhams appoints former luxury goods head as global chief executive

Chabi Nouri, who previously led the watch and jewellery company Piaget, replaces Bruno Vinciguerra

Christie’s reportedly planning layoffs

Rival Sotheby’s recently entered a consultation period ahead of redundancies

Christie's hit with class action lawsuit over exposure of clients' personal data in cyberattack

The complaint, filed on 3 June by a Dallas-based customer, is the latest problem for the auction house following a major cyberattack

Sotheby’s to lay off dozens of employees in UK with further cuts planned in other locations

Auction house is in “consultation period” ahead of redundancies, sources say

Hackers claim responsibility for Christie's cyberattack and threaten to release client data

The group RansomHub say they are behind the attack that took down the auction house's website earlier this month