Market & Auctions

Market trends, sales, auction results, major lots, records, and analysis from Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips and others.

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Basquiat's 'Untitled (Devil)' from Modena Period Heads to Phillips New York Auction market-auction
Phillips has announced the sale of Jean-Michel Basquiat's monumental painting 'Untitled (Devil)' (1982) as the highlight of its 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New…
Canova's 'Maddalena giacente' bought for £5,000 as garden statue, now estimated at £5-8m market-auction
A long-lost marble sculpture by Antonio Canova, the 'Maddalena giacente' (Reclining Magdalene), will be auctioned by Christie's in London during its Classic Week in July 2022. The…
Met to Sell Picasso Sculpture for $30M to Fund New Acquisitions market-auction
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is selling Pablo Picasso's bronze sculpture 'Tête de femme (Fernande)' (1909), one of the artist's earliest Cubist works, at Christie's New York in…
Phillips London Evening Sale Raises £30 Million, Donates Buyer's Premium to Ukrainian Red Cross market-auction
On March 3, 2022, Phillips wrapped up a three-day auction series in London, which had commenced with Christie's on March 1 and continued with Sotheby's. The contemporary art…
Italian Masterpieces at Sotheby's Auction: Repatriation Debates market-auction
The article discusses the recurring issue of Italian artworks sold abroad and the calls for their repatriation. It highlights that wealthy Italians rarely purchase these works for…
Art-Rite auction of Italian comics masters includes Artribune commission by Maicol&Mirco market-auction
On March 17, Art-Rite auction house in Milan will offer 121 lots of original drawings and illustrations by Italian comic masters. The sale features Andrea Pazienza with plates…
London auction records: Christie's and Sotheby's rake in £470 million in single week market-auction
In March 2022, auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's in London recorded unprecedented sales surpassing £470 million. On March 1, Christie's conducted two auctions, breaking…
Christie's 2021 Report: Record Sales of $7.1 Billion and Digital Innovation market-auction
Christie's released its 2021 annual report, revealing record aggregate sales of $7.1 billion, the highest in five years, with an 87% sell-through rate. The 20/21 century art…
Record Magritte sells for £51.5 million at Sotheby's London market-auction
René Magritte's 'L'Empire des Lumières' sold for £51.5 million (€62 million) at Sotheby's London, tripling the artist's previous auction record. The painting, executed in 1961 for…
Sotheby's London auctions feature major Italian masters and emerging artists market-auction
Sotheby's London is set for a major auction day on March 2, 2022, with two key sales: the debut of The Now Evening Sale, focusing on works from the last 20 years by emerging…
Charity Auction for Stroke Research at Artcurial market-auction
On March 9, 2022, Artcurial in Paris will host a charity auction to benefit the Vaincre l'AVC endowment fund, founded by Sophie and Pierre Amarenco. The auction, led by auctioneer…
Mega Galleries Rush to Open in Los Angeles After Frieze LA market-auction
In the wake of Frieze Los Angeles, more than seven galleries from New York are set to establish themselves on the West Coast. Pace Gallery is scheduled to launch in April…
Banca Popolare di Vicenza to Sell Its Art Collection market-auction
On January 21, 2022, the liquidators of Banca Popolare di Vicenza announced the sale of the bank's extraordinary art collection. The bank was placed under compulsory…
Sotheby's to Auction 104 CryptoPunks in Single Lot, Estimated $20-30 Million market-auction
Sotheby's New York is set to auction a single lot of 104 CryptoPunks on February 23, 2022, with an estimate of $20-30 million, the highest ever for an NFT. The collection, from an…
Tuscan wineries Ornellaia and Frescobaldi merge wine with contemporary art market-auction
Two wineries in Tuscany, Ornellaia and Frescobaldi, merge the worlds of wine and contemporary art. Since 2009, Ornellaia has been running the Vendemmia d'Artista initiative, which…
Valentina Cortese's collection auctioned for charity in Milan market-auction
Il Ponte auction house is set to auction the wardrobe, artworks, and furnishings of the late actress Valentina Cortese at Palazzo Crivelli in Milan on March 1-2, 2022. This…
Bonhams acquires Scandinavian auction house Bukowskis market-auction
Bonhams, one of the oldest international auction houses, has acquired Bukowskis, the leading Scandinavian auction house, following its recent expansion into Paris. Founded in 1870…
Francis Bacon Market Down 80% Since 2014 Peak market-auction
Despite Francis Bacon's enduring popularity, his auction market has declined 80% from its 2014 peak of $306 million in annual sales. The artist's record remains the $142.4 million…
Hubert de Givenchy's Collection to Be Auctioned by Christie's in Paris market-auction
Christie's will auction over 1,200 lots from the collection of the late fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, spanning furniture, sculptures, and paintings by French and European…
Sotheby's Old Masters auction disappoints despite Botticelli highlight market-auction
Sotheby's Master Paintings and Sculpture Part I sale on January 27 in New York fell short of expectations, with Sandro Botticelli's 'The Man of Sorrows' selling for $45.4 million…
Picasso's Rare Surrealist Painting Heads to Christie's with £14-24m Estimate market-auction
Christie's will offer Pablo Picasso's 'La fenêtre ouverte' in its The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale on March 1, 2022, with a pre-sale estimate of £14-24 million. The painting,…
Fashion brands embrace NFTs as luxury market shifts to digital-physical experiences market-auction
Luxury fashion labels are increasingly utilizing NFTs to merge digital and physical realms, with Morgan Stanley estimating the market could reach €50 billion by 2030. On December…
Damien Hirst Admits Diamond Skull Was Never Sold market-auction
Damien Hirst has admitted that his diamond-encrusted skull, For the Love of God, was never actually sold for $100 million in 2007. In a New York Times interview, the artist…
Art Basel substitui FIAC no Grand Palais em Paris market-auction
Art Basel is set to launch a new modern and contemporary art fair at the Grand Palais in Paris, scheduled for October. This event will be the group's fourth, following successful…
Wannenes Auction House Reports €24.7M Revenue for 2021, Up 47% in Online Sales market-auction
Italian auction house Wannenes closed 2021 with €24.7 million in total revenue, a 65% sell-through rate by lot and 210% by value, with growth across all departments. Online…
NFT Market: Speculation, Environmental Concerns, and Italian Crypto Art market-auction
The NFT market exploded in 2021, with Christie's selling Beeple's 'Everydays: The First 5000 Days' for $69.3 million on March 12, 2021. However, NFTs are essentially digital…
Phillips expands digital sales and fiduciary services for collectors market-auction
Following strong 2021 results and the announcement of a new Hong Kong venue, Phillips is refining its strategy by relaunching Gallery One and introducing Fiduciary Services.…
NFTs Explained: Market, Value, and the End of Material Chauvinism market-auction
In March 2021, during the NFT boom, Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) sold 'Everydays: The First 5000 Days' for $69 million at a Christie's online auction, making it the sixth most…
Il Ponte's Rare Book Auction: From Dante to Dalì market-auction
Il Ponte Casa d'Aste in Milan opens 2022 with a dedicated auction of rare and artist books, following a record turnover of over €1.5 million in 2021. The sale features an…
Microsoft Acquires Activision Blizzard for $68.7 Billion in Record Gaming Deal market-auction
Microsoft has announced the acquisition of video game giant Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, the largest deal in both Microsoft's history and the gaming industry. The…
Sicily's 'Godfather' Castle Listed for €6 Million by Sotheby's market-auction
Italy Sotheby's International Realty has listed Castello Pennisi di Floristella in Acireale, Sicily, for €6 million. The 4,000-square-meter neo-Gothic castle, built in the late…
Sotheby's Spring 2022 Auctions: Botticelli and Magritte Lead market-auction
Sotheby's has announced a packed spring 2022 auction calendar, starting with Master Week in New York from January 19 to 29, 2022, featuring works from the 14th to 19th centuries.…
Murilo Castro Archives: 2021 Art Market Defies Crisis, Virtual Fairs Transform Gallery Strategies market-auction
The Murilo Castro Archives reveal that 2021 proved to be a strong year for the art market, defying expectations of crisis. Brazilian galleries actively engaged with virtual fairs,…
Top 5 Art Market Moments of 2021: NFTs, Macklowe, Botticelli, and More market-auction
The art market saw a revival in 2021, fueled by live exhibitions, the surge of NFTs, record-breaking private collections, and historic auction figures. In September 2021, Art…
Il Ponte Casa d'Aste Reports Record 2021 Results market-auction
Il Ponte Casa d'Aste closed 2021 with total hammer prices exceeding €38.5 million (€38,583,925 including buyer's premium), a 220% increase over reserve prices and an 82%…
Auction Houses Sotheby's, Christie's, Phillips Report Record 2021 Sales market-auction
Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips achieved record sales in 2021, driven by a 'phygital' strategy blending digital and physical auctions. Sotheby's reported $7.3 billion in total…
Casino dell'Aurora with Caravaggio mural to auction for €471M market-auction
The Casino dell'Aurora, a historic building in Rome housing the only known mural by Caravaggio, will be auctioned on January 18, 2022, with a starting value of €471 million. The…
First SMS sold as NFT for €107,000 at auction market-auction
The first SMS ever sent, reading 'Merry Christmas', was sold as an NFT for €107,000 at an auction organized by Aguttes. The message was sent on December 3, 1992, by Vodafone…
Artists with Highest Value Appreciation Over 35 Years market-auction
A study published by Milano Finanza for its 35th anniversary analyzed the art market from the early 1980s to 2021, revealing the artists whose works appreciated most in value.…
Dinosaur Skeleton Henry Sells for €300,000 at Cambi Auction market-auction
At Cambi Casa d'Aste's Modern and Contemporary Art auction on December 14, 2021, in Milan, the highlight was the skeleton of an Hypacrosaurus dinosaur nicknamed Henry. Discovered…

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