The new auctions, to be titled The House Sales, will be held on the first Wednesday of every month (with the exception of May and November when the building will be too crowded) with the hope of attracting a regular clientele. They will offer a wide variety of merchandise in the ‘home furnishing’ category, particularly sets of chairs, dining tables, silver, ceramics and paintings, with around 450 lots per sale.
The House Sales promise to plug some of the gaps left by the closure of Christie’s East and the integration of many of its departments in the Rockefeller Plaza building. However, the financial entry level promises to be higher than was common on East Street.
The price range for these sales will be between $2000-30,000 with the average lot value expected to level at around $5000. “At Rockefeller we no longer have the space we did before so we have to maintain certain average values,” explained Alistair Clarke, head of Christie’s furniture department, who will be taking responsibility for the new baby. “In terms of furniture, the sales will include most of what would have previously been in a fine English and Continental sale and the best of what we sold at East.”
Christie’s maintain that they can still offer a complete service to clients who wish to sell an estate but will now be referring merchandise in the lower price levels to “third parties”. The first two-session sale is scheduled for February 6.
Christie’s to market new type of New York sale…
Christie’s will launch a new series of sales in the New Year aimed at creating a “one stop shopping experience” for dealers, decorators and particularly private buyers.
