AnalysisArt market
Randomness rules New York's $42m American art sales
Small works won out at Sotheby's and Christie's as top lots went for their low estimates or were withdrawn
AnalysisAuctions
New York's autumn sales were subdued but not necessarily septic
Overall sales were down by around 30% but beyond the disappointing headline figures, women and minority artists shone
NewsBanksy
Banksy’s The Drinker withdrawn from Sotheby’s sale after rival artist claims ownership
Sculpture—estimated at £1m—was removed from the street by Andy Link in 2004 but later “liberated” from his East End garden
NewsBanksy
Artist who ‘kidnapped’ Banksy's The Drinker claims ownership ahead of Sotheby's sale
Andy Link says sculpture for which he demanded £5,000 in ransom was later stolen from him. Banksy’s former dealer says otherwise
NewsVincent Van Gogh
Two Dutch museums join forces to buy rare, $3m Van Gogh painting at Sotheby's New York
Work acquired by Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Drents Museum in Assen is one of few to survive from the artist's visit to Drenthe
PreviewArt market
Confidence may be low, but New York's auctions are aiming high
Can the quality of the smaller works coming up during "gigaweek" quell economic jitters?
NewsPrizes
Sotheby's Prize awarded to two exhibitions exploring indigenous Brazilian cultures
The $250,000 prize money will be shared between several São Paulo organisations
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
For sale: two Van Gogh paintings come up at Sotheby’s New York next week
One of the works was looted by the Nazis from Jewish collector Jacques Goudstikker, but is now being sold by his heir after restitution
NewsArt market
Sotheby's replaces Tad Smith with Charles F. Stewart as chief executive
Smith leaves after four and a half years with a $28.2m severance deal, including $16.9m in shares, and will remain as a senior adviser to Stewart
NewsArt market
Billionaires battle it out over the Lalannes at Sotheby’s in Paris
Jose Mugrabi and Antoine Arnault among collectors bidding at "white glove" sale of works by François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne
NewsBanksy
Banksy painting of chimps as MPs sells for record £9.9m at Sotheby's
Nicole Eisenman, Jean-Michel Basquiat and a dozen Italians help weather the Brexit storm
NewsAuction houses
Sotheby's ceases publicly trading on the New York Stock Exchange as its $3.7bn sale to Patrick Drahi closes
Chief financial officer Michael Goss is replaced by Jean-Luc Berrebi per the terms of the merger, which sees shareholders compensated $57 per share
NewsDiscoveries
Sotheby's to offer newly discovered Mantegna drawing
Preparatory sketch for The Triumph of Caesar will go on sale in New York in January
BlogIn the frame
Unmasked! 3D picture of Banksy (from the back) sells at Sotheby’s
NewsAuction houses
Sotheby’s shareholders approve $3.7bn sale to telecoms tycoon Patrick Drahi
With an overwhelming 91% of shareholders in favour, the publicly traded auction house will go private after three decades on the New York Stock Exchange
NewsArt market
US-China trade war expands to books and maps as increased tariffs hit art imports
Trump's newly increased tariff of 15% on Chinese goods now applies to the antiquarian trade, further affecting dealers and auction houses
NewsArt market
Fourth Sotheby’s shareholder files lawsuit in bid to block $3.7bn sale to Patrick Drahi
Auction house says such litigation is “routine in the US”, with deal expected to be completed by the end of the year
NewsArt market
Female artists outperform men when their work returns to auction, report finds
A data study by Sotheby's Mei Moses reveals a 73% increase for work by women in repeat sales, while male artists lagged at 8%
NewsArt market
Brexit contributes to 10% drop in sales at Sotheby’s in first half of 2019
Sale to telecoms magnate Patrick Drahi looks set to go ahead as firm makes up for a loss in revenue through increased commissions and more efficient guarantees
NewsArt market
Two shareholders seek to block Sotheby’s purchase by BidFair
Lawsuits argue that information filed to the SEC is inadequate
BlogIn the frame
Sotheby's staff subject to peer review to benefit charity
Security guards and specialists alike appraise each others works for selling exhibition to support Mind UK
NewsAuction houses
Phillips names Olivia Thornton head of 20th-century and contemporary art in Europe
The appointment comes after a handful of new hires across the auction house’s offices
NewsMoon
Lunar landing anniversary inspires tributes to the Moon across the globe
Exhibitions and events at museums and galleries worldwide proves we are still looney for the Moon 50 years after setting foot on it
AnalysisArt market
Price match! Old Masters vs contemporary art: what can you get for your money?
As London's Classic Week of sales comes to a close, we take a look at what the same sum will buy you at either end of the art historical timeline
NewsArt market
Sofa King's collection plumps up Sotheby's Old Master sale—helped by a suite of guarantees
Five lots from the DFS founder Graham Kirkham's collection made up almost half of the value of the £56.3m London sale, which was led by a late Turner
NewsAuctions
Flipping the Bacon: Sotheby's £69m post-war and contemporary sale lacks fizz
A £16m Francis Bacon self-portrait and a record for a little-known German artist enliven an otherwise dry sale in London as totals fall 40% on last year
NewsLaw
Sotheby's denied dismissal of Rybolovlev's $380m lawsuit by New York judge
Papers filed in a Manhattan court this week order a pre-trial conference and the release of confidential documents
NewsArt market
Mini Impressionist and Modern sale at Sotheby's makes £99m thanks to auction debutantes
Monet's waterlilies and Modigliani's portrait of an unknown boy lead the 25-lot sale, and new record made for Austrian artist Alfred Kubin's haunting drawing
CommentArt market
Sotheby's newfound privacy gives it greater freedom, but at what cost to the rest of us?
Former public company status left the auction house at a disadvantage to rival Christie's, but its quarterly finance reports provided rare insight in a secretive market
NewsSotheby's
Sotheby's goes private as it is sold for $3.7bn
French-Israeli media billionaire Patrick Drahi's company BidFair USA buys firm from shareholders
NewsAboriginal art
Sotheby’s to hold the first major Aboriginal art sale in the US in November
The auction house cites increasing interest in Aboriginal art among US collectors and institutions
AnalysisAuctions
Edward Hopper's over-priced ode to Shakespeare goes unsold as market for American art proves capricious
Christie's American art sales this week realise a new record for Hartley but Sotheby's struggles to get the pricing right on Hopper's Shakespeare scene
NewsArt market
San Francisco museum's Rothko sells for $50m as Sotheby’s closes bumper week of New York auctions
Dana Schutz’s record broken twice in one night at Phillips then Sotheby's, while the bidder behind the $91m Koons Rabbit buys Lee Krasner painting for $10m
NewsArt market
Monet's glowing haystacks set alight Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern art sale with a new £97m record
Market is alive and kicking at the top for prime Impressionist works, though Bouguereau's uncomfortably placed, 19th century Bacchanalian scene failed to sell
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
Virtually unseen Van Gogh painting comes up for sale in New York next week
Christie’s values the Japanese-influenced picture of the asylum garden at $25m
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s reports loss of $7.1m in first quarter of 2019
Lack of supply dogs London and Hong Kong and guarantees are down over 50% as former chief operating officer Adam Chinn apparently joins the Mugrabi dealing family
NewsArt market
Frans Hals court case may be settled but it raises questions over science, scholars and contracts
After settling with dealer Mark Weiss, Sotheby’s is still trying to recoup losses after refunding US buyer of the painting
NewsArt market
On the Bard’s birthday, Sotheby’s announces it will offer Edward Hopper’s ode to Shakespeare
Estimated to fetch $7-$10m, the New York cityscape, depicts the iconic Central Park statue of the playwright
NewsArt market
Court case over 'modern forgery' Frans Hals concludes but judgment reserved until summer
Sotheby's James Martin stands by his assertion that the painting is a fake following hours of interrogation challenging the independence of his scientific analysis
NewsArt market
Bonn library recovers 600 books missing since the Second World War
Sotheby's assisted the return of the books, including 11 medieval manuscripts, which were found in Belgium
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s settles claim against London dealer Mark Weiss in Frans Hals case
Settlement came day before trial was due to start, but its suit against financier will continue
AnalysisEgon Schiele
Buyer's guide to... Egon Schiele
While well known in the West, the work of this major figure of Austrian Expressionism is less recognised in Asia—until now
News
Van Ham to auction 4,000 contemporary works from SØR Rusche collection
Dutch Old Masters in the retailer’s corporate collection are to be sold at Sotheby’s
NewsArt market
Sotheby's puts female artists first in contemporary sale, but men still end up on top
Jenny Saville's Juncture sells for £5.4m and records set for Rebecca Warren and Nigerian artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, but Jean-Michel Basquiat still leads prices
NewsArt market
Sotheby's sales up 16% in 2018 thanks to $1bn private sales boost
Auction house reports $6.4bn in total sales last year, while finance chief Mike Goss says guarantees will not be used "at a particularly high level" in future
NewsArt market
Keep the Monet flowing: trim but efficient Sotheby's sale starts London's pre-Brexit Impressionist and Modern art week
£63m auction total is half that of last year, but bidding from Asia and Russia helps make new record for Oskar Schlemmer and a Venetian view by Monet
News
SFMoMA to sell a Rothko estimated at $35m to $50m
Proceeds would go toward acquisitions that “address art historical gaps’’
NewsArt market
Drawings prove the main draw for collectors at New York’s Master Week sales
Sotheby’s sees strong sales for works on paper by Rubens and Carracci while interest in masterworks by female artists slowly rises
BlogIn the frame
Hear them roar—tiger rugs by Anish Kapoor and Raqib Shaw fly out the door
NewsArt market
Guggenheim deaccessions work by Zao Wou-Ki as the artist’s market swells
Following a $65m sale of the Chinese modernist’s work in October, Sotheby’s will offer an untitled work this spring to benefit the museum’s acquisition fund
NewsArt market
New York’s Americana week reveals a generational shift in taste
Sales lag while demand for folk art is on the rise as Millennials move away from a ‘Home Alone’ aesthetic
NewsArt market
A monumental work by Marie Antoinette’s portraitist will headline Sotheby’s Female Triumphant sale
Major works by 14 women artists are expected to dominate Sotheby’s Masters Week offerings and bring more 'diverse' collectors
NewsArt market
French antiquities dealers slam ‘shocking’ report on restituting African art
Dealers’ association seeks meeting with culture minister over fears report will open the door to numerous restitution claims for a range of artefacts
NewsArt market
Christie's France wins the artist resale royalty battle
Supreme court victory in France allows the auction house to shift the responsibility for resale royalties from sellers to buyers of works of art
NewsArt market
Shifts among the major auction houses could spell serious change
Loic Gouzer to leave Christie’s as the auction house restructures in wake of Francis Outred's departure, while Phillips upgrades its New York headquarters
AnalysisThe Year In Review
2018 in the market: the price is right for pale males
David Hockney was latest white male artist to set a record this year
NewsArt market
Jump-bidding for Rembrandt's fingerprints and a tale of two Van Dycks: dispatches from London's Old Master auctions
Christie's and Sotheby's sell near identical Van Dyck portraits of Princess Mary, and new records are set for Frans Hals and a jolly Judith Leyster
AnalysisMarket
In debt we trust: the rise of art-secured lending
The rapid growth in the number of loan providers, from private banks to specialist lenders, could transform the art market’s relationship with the financial markets
NewsArt market
Adam Chinn to leave Sotheby's after chief operating officer role is 'eliminated'
Former deal-maker, who joined the auction house in 2016 with the acquisition of Art Agency, Partners, will leave on 31 December
NewsAuctions
How a Roman sarcophagus—going on sale this week—was emptied for a pug
Skeleton of young man was evicted to make way for the body of the first Duke of Buckingham and Chandos's pet dog
NewsArt market
Head of Sotheby’s India takes 'indefinite leave' following #MeToo allegations
Gaurav Bhatia is co-operating in "formal enquiry" ahead of auction house’s inaugural sale in Mumbai today
AnalysisAuctions
The highs and lows of New York ‘gigaweek’
Hockney made the headlines, but other artists made waves—or flopped—at November’s auctions
NewsBen Uri Gallery
Ben Uri museum advisory board resigns en masse over Sotheby’s sale of works from the collection
Nicholas Serota and Norman Rosenthal say that selling off the works is a “grave mistake”
NewsAppointments & departures
Sotheby’s Germany chief Philipp von Württemberg resigns
Heinrich von Spreti will serve as interim managing director until a replacement is found
CommentHong Kong
Hong Kong art market profits despite protestors’ pain
If not immune to geopolitical unrest, then perhaps art is a refuge for money that is struggling to find its way into other assets
Melanie Gerlis