Market & Auctions

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

Most recent stories

Pak's 'The Pixel' NFT sells for $1.36 million in Sotheby's $16.8 million digital art sale market-auction
A single grey pixel NFT titled 'The Pixel' by crypto-artist Pak sold for $1.36 million at Sotheby's, part of a broader $16.8 million sale called 'The Fungible Collection' hosted…
Art Market and Cultural Events Ring in the New Year with Auctions, Exhibitions, and Digital Giveaways market-auction
A Gu Wenda ink work titled 'Gu's Phrase – Happy Chinese Year of the Tiger' sold for 187,500 HKD at Sotheby's Hong Kong, surpassing expectations. Gilbert & George are presenting at…
Brazilian Gallery Almeida & Dale Raided in São Paulo Over Disputed Volpi Paintings market-auction
On Wednesday, São Paulo police executed a search warrant at Almeida & Dale, one of Brazil's largest galleries, located in the Jardins district. The raid by the São Paulo State…
Jeffrey Gibson Sues Former Gallery Kavi Gupta Over $600,000 in Unpaid Sales market-auction
Jeffrey Gibson, who will become the first Native American artist to represent the United States at the 60th Venice Biennale, has filed a lawsuit against his former gallery, Kavi…
Endeavor Acquired by Silver Lake for $13 Billion, Renamed WME Group market-auction
Silver Lake Partners acquired Endeavor, the parent company of Frieze, for $13 billion in equity value on Monday, taking the company private. Endeavor, which went public in 2021,…
November 2014 New York auctions yield mixed results with record highs and notable buy-ins market-auction
Sotheby's New York achieved $343 million in its 11 November postwar and contemporary sale, falling short of the previous year's $380.6 million total. Jasper Johns' 1983 Flag set…
Sotheby's Expands Private Sales with S/2 London Amid Auction Market Shifts market-auction
Sotheby's has launched its S/2 private sales gallery model in London, expanding from its New York base and aiming to host five selling exhibitions each year at this new site. This…
Hauser & Wirth's UK profits plummet 90% amid gallery expansions and artist additions market-auction
The Financial Times reported that Hauser & Wirth's UK profits have dropped by nearly 90 percent, though this may not reflect the gallery's global performance across its 18…
Princess Eugenie joins Hauser & Wirth, summer art events and auctions highlight market activity market-auction
Princess Eugenie has been appointed as an associate director at Hauser & Wirth, with rumors suggesting her Snow White-themed 25th birthday party impressed Iwan Wirth, leading to…
Art adviser Lisa Schiff sentenced to prison for wire fraud in $9M Ponzi scheme market-auction
Lisa Schiff, a New York art adviser, has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and ordered to pay $6.4 million in forfeiture plus $9 million in restitution to victims.…
Francis Bacon Triptych Offered as $100 Shares on New Art Stock Exchange Platform market-auction
A 1963 Francis Bacon triptych, Three Studies for a Portrait of George Dyer, is being offered in fractional shares priced at $100 each through Artex, a regulated platform described…
Nathan Drahi appointed managing director of Sotheby's Asia operations as Kevin Ching retires market-auction
Nathan Drahi, the 26-year-old son of billionaire Patrick Drahi, will become managing director of Sotheby's Asia operations at year's end. This appointment follows Kevin Ching…
Keith Haring, Eddie Peake, Petra Cortright, and Nam June Paik works featured in art wishlist market-auction
Christie's is set to auction a Keith Haring piece depicting a man masturbating, with bids estimated between £70,000 and £100,000. This artwork, being sold by Sting and Trudi…
South Korean Police Arrest Three in Lee Ufan Forgery Ring market-auction
South Korean authorities have apprehended three individuals for producing and selling counterfeit works by artist Lee Ufan. The suspects, identified as dealers Kim and Ku along…
Artangel's £2.5m fund launched with works from 37 artists including Hiorns, Gordon, Iglesias market-auction
A fundraising initiative titled Artists for Artangel has been established through donations from 37 international artists who have previously collaborated with the London-based…
Ariel Emanuel acquires Frieze for nearly $200 million, expanding global art fair portfolio market-auction
Ariel Emanuel, a prominent figure in Hollywood, has acquired Frieze, the art fair and magazine organization, in a transaction worth nearly $200 million. This move comes after…
San Art's Online Auction 'Thresholds of Motion' Aims to Rescue Fragile Vietnamese Nonprofit market-auction
From December 4 to 18, 2014, San Art, a nonprofit gallery and reading room in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, will conduct an online fundraising auction called 'Thresholds of Motion'…
Cimabue painting sells for €24.2M at Paris auction, Sotheby's CEO replaced, biennial appointments announced market-auction
On Sunday, a painting from the thirteenth century by Cimabue, titled The Mocking of Christ, fetched €24.2 million at the Actéon auction house located near Paris, marking a new…
PleasrDAO sues Martin Shkreli for allegedly copying Wu-Tang Clan album market-auction
PleasrDAO, a group of digital art enthusiasts, has initiated legal action against Martin Shkreli, accusing him of producing unauthorized reproductions of the exclusive Wu-Tang…
Gagosian Sues Qatari Agent Over Picasso Sculpture Ownership Dispute market-auction
Larry Gagosian has initiated legal proceedings against Pelham Holdings, representing the Qatari royal family, regarding ownership of Picasso's Bust of a Woman (1931). Both parties…
Paddle8 Auction House Files for Bankruptcy, Names Justin and Haley Bieber as Creditors market-auction
Online auction house Paddle8 has filed for bankruptcy, listing creditors including Justin and Haley Bieber in its petition. This development follows a lawsuit filed against the…
Galleries Target Luxury Enclaves for Wealthy Collectors, Shifting Art World Geography market-auction
Major galleries are increasingly establishing spaces in exclusive destinations frequented by the ultra-wealthy, moving away from traditional art capitals. Gagosian opened a space…
Qatar's Al-Thani Family Dominates Global Art Market with Major Acquisitions and Cultural Projects market-auction
Qatar has become the world's leading purchaser of modern and contemporary art, driven by the Al-Thani family's aggressive collecting. Sheikh Saud bin Muhammad bin Ali Al-Thani…
Tim Berners-Lee Auctions World Wide Web Source Code as NFT Through Sotheby's market-auction
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, is auctioning the original source code from 1989 as an NFT through Sotheby's with a starting price of £1,000. The NFT includes…
Eight charged in Norval Morrisseau forgery ring after Barenaked Ladies musician's suspicion market-auction
An extensive investigation spanning two and a half years has resulted in charges against eight people for supposedly running a forgery operation that produced counterfeit artworks…
Phillips and Poly Auction Houses Announce Collaborative Sales in Hong Kong This Autumn market-auction
This autumn, Phillips is collaborating with Poly Auction to conduct modern and contemporary art sales in Hong Kong, signifying a strategic partnership between the London-based…
Christie's Brett Gorvy on Record Auction Sales and Market Trends market-auction
Back in November 2013, Brett Gorvy, who is the chairman and the global head of post-war and contemporary art at Christie's, oversaw a groundbreaking sale of Francis Bacon's…
Drawing Biennial 2015 Launches Fundraising Auction with Over 200 Works on Paper market-auction
The Drawing Biennial 2015, organized by the non-profit Drawing Room, serves as a fundraising exhibition and silent auction featuring over 200 original A4 drawings contributed by…
Amie Siegel's Film 'Provenance' to be Auctioned at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Sale market-auction
Amie Siegel's 2013 film 'Provenance' will be sold as lot 248 in Christie's Post-War and Contemporary sale this weekend. The Chicago-born artist's work traces the reverse journey…
Allan Schwartzman and Amy Cappellazzo Launch Art Agency, Partners to Merge Curatorial and Financial Expertise market-auction
Amy Cappellazzo departed Christie's this year, where she had served as chairman of postwar and contemporary development, to join forces with art adviser Allan Schwartzman. Their…
Guy Wildenstein acquitted of tax fraud charges in French court market-auction
French authorities accused Guy Wildenstein, president of the New York gallery Wildenstein & Company, of money laundering and tax evasion. Last week, a court cleared him of these…
Collector Files Lawsuit Against Woodward Gallery Over Alleged Warhol Forgeries market-auction
Nira Levine has initiated legal action against Woodward Gallery, alleging the sale of counterfeit Andy Warhol prints. The collector claims the New York gallery encouraged her to…
Christie's Art + Tech Summit Explores Blockchain's Potential to Transform Art Market Transparency and Trust market-auction
On July 20, 2018, the Christie's Art + Tech Summit, co-hosted with Vastari, drew more than 200 participants, including collectors, tech entrepreneurs, and gallerists. The event…
Sotheby's acquires AI startup Thread Genius to enhance data strategy market-auction
Sotheby's has acquired Thread Genius, an artificial intelligence startup specializing in taste-based image recognition and recommendation technologies. The startup was founded by…
Artist Robert Cenedella sues five major US museums for $100 million over alleged market manipulation market-auction
So, Robert Cenedella, an artist known for his biting satire and who appeared in the 2015 film 'Art Bastard,' has just filed a federal class action lawsuit against five major U.S.…
Mugrabi Family's Market Influence Through Decades of Strategic Art Acquisition market-auction
The Mugrabi family—Jose, David, and Alberto—have built a formidable art portfolio over more than two decades, positioning themselves as influential market makers. Their collection…
Panama Papers Expose Offshore Art Market Secrecy and Key Collectors market-auction
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has revealed through the Panama Papers leak a significant trend among prominent art collectors utilizing offshore…
Portuguese collector Joe Berardo ordered to surrender art for €1bn debt market-auction
A court has mandated that Portuguese collector Joe Berardo relinquish a portion of his art collection to address outstanding debts amounting to €1 billion. Nevertheless, the three…
Sotheby's inaugural Beijing auction generates $37 million, sets Zao Wou-Ki record market-auction
Sotheby's first auction in mainland China garnered $37 million, reflecting strong engagement from collectors in the area. Held in Beijing, this event set a new auction record for…
NFTs Redefine Art Market by Dematerializing Rarity and Ownership in Digital Era market-auction
The art market underwent a transformation in 2021 as nonfungible tokens (NFTs) separated physical items from their market worth, establishing a novel framework for digital…

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