Stories

We sifted through our database of auction sales for all of the works made since 2000 that were sold in 2021. That gave us a total market value of $1.76 billion for 21st century art sold at public auction at the major auction houses last year. 

Phillips posted $1.2 billion in sales in 2021. That’s 32% more than they sold in 2019. So the company continues to make progress as it installs a new CEO in Stephen Brooks. Auction sales came tantalizingly close to the symbolic milestone of $1 billion. The exact total was $993.3 million. Private sales contributed anoth

At Art Basel in Miami Beach, LiveArt’s Marion Maneker moderated a panel on price transparency with Esther Kim Varet, Heather Flow, and Alexander Forbes.

The LiveArt Hot 25 shines a light on artists whose work saw the most dynamic bidding in public auctions during 2021. From our comprehensive database of auctions, we isolated the artists whose work was bid the farthest above the low estimates.

Everyone knew 2021 was an extraordinary year simply judging from the first half results six months ago. Now that the final numbers are in at Sotheby’s we can see that the tally is greater than any time in the firm’s previous 277-year history.

From Beeple to Banksy to George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware—these five sales just might be turning points toward the future

Things are going so well for Phillips in Hong Kong—CEO Stephen Brooks says client interaction in Asia is up 30% since the lockdown—that they’re moving to a new location right next to the M+ Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District. The move will take place in the Fall of 2022.

Hong Kong’s HKD 2.68 billion ($344 million) sales at Christie’s and Phillips were a surprising mixture of global, Western and Asian artists. There were a number of breakout sales for artists with relatively brief sales histories and works very recently made.

At the top of the market, records were set for Huang Yuxing, Yayoi Kusama and solid gains realized for Sanyu

That state of France has given up. The minister of culture announced that the French state would not try to acquire the Rothschild Rembrandt painting, “Le Porte-étandard” painted in 1636 but acquired by James de Rothschild in 1840.

Success had many fathers at Sotheby’s last night once the 676.1 million first part of the Macklowe sale was over. The company’s owner, Patrick Drahi, took Harry Macklowe  up to the empty rostrum to pose for a few celebratory pictures together.