Buying Art

What does acquiring art mean to you? Visiting art museums, admiring reproductions of your favorite paintings in your living room? Let’s imagine you’re an art collector with an unlimited budget, and you want to purchase a piece of art you’ve dreamt of all your life. To do this, you decide to wear your best lounge suit and visit the world’s largest art auction houses. Here is a brief overview of the five largest art auction houses globally.

Christie’s

Founded by James Christie in 1766, Christie’s is one of the world’s leading art companies and international auction houses. It has 53 offices in 32 countries, ten salerooms globally, and hosts over 450 sales annually across 80 categories, including fine and decorative arts, jewelry, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Christie’s has hosted the five highest-grossing art auctions of all time in November 2006, May 2007, and June 2007.

Sotheby’s

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is another leading auctioneer of fine art Utilize Art Work Oil Painting To Decorate Your Living Area - There are numerous benefits to purchasing fine art oil painting for your home, including: Enhancing the redecorating process: If you're facing the challenging task of refurbishing your home, adding an oil painting can greatly contribute to its overall aesthetic appeal. These exquisite works of art can create a striking focal point in any room, impressing… , antiques, jewelry, sculpture, and valuable objects, with a global network of over 100 offices and salesrooms. In 2000, Sotheby’s became the first global art auction house to hold auctions online. It also offers MySotheby’s for tracking lots and creating wishlists, as well as opening its traditional saleroom auctions to Internet bidding through the eBay Live Auctions service.

Bonhams

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Dorotheum

Established in 1707, the Dorotheum is Central Europe’s largest auction house and one of the leading auctioneers internationally. Hosting around 600 auctions per year, the Dorotheum has over 100 experts attending to more than 40 departments. Key art categories include Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Old Masters, and 19th Century Paintings, along with various categories for antiques.

Stockholms Auktionsverk

Founded in 1674 in Sweden, Stockholms Auktionsverk is the world’s oldest auction house. Holding over 70 auction days per year, it offers more than 50,000 items up for bidding. In addition to serving the domestic art market, Stockholms Auktionsverk is prominent in the thriving Russian art market.

Now that you’ve read this brief guide on art auction houses, remember that if you have money to invest and a piece of art you want to buy, the process of purchasing is straightforward. General procedures include registering to bid, bidding, paying, and picking up or shipping your new acquisition.

Manuel Marino

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