Auctions

News and previews of art and antiques sold at auctions throughout the UK and overseas, from multi-million-pound blockbusters to affordable collectables.


Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure Festival

Christie’s sales down 27% – is this an art market slump?

20 July 2016

Christie’s has experienced a sharp fall in overall sales. In figures released earlier today the company reported sales of £2.1bn for the first half of 2016, which compared to £2.9bn for the same period in 2015.

Chinese Kangxi porcelain famille noir brushwater

Rare Kangxi brushwater takes top spot at Roseberys' auction

20 July 2016

Roseberys' latest fine art auction produced particularly sound results from the Asian art collection of Sir Anthony Hastings George, proving that a good provenance is still key.

Francis Picabia Waddington Christie's

Leslie Waddington collection comes to Christie's for Frieze week sale

19 July 2016

Christie’s London has announced the sale of the late dealer Leslie Waddington’s collection in a single-owner auction during Frieze week in October this year.

Giovanni Grancino cello

Cash in the attic - Grancino cello and Voirin bow sell for £173,000 at London auction

19 July 2016

A cello by Giovanni Grancino made in Milan in c.1710 was one of a number of ‘attic finds’ that led Brompton’s latest musical instruments auction.

Regime change at Stanley Gibbons as top bosses made redundant

18 July 2016

Major changes have been announced to the management and board of Stanley Gibbons after the chief executive and chief financial officer were made redundant.

Doucai winepot at Nagel in Stuttgart

Sales move out of Germany as controversial culture bill becomes law

18 July 2016

German auctioneers are preparing to move sales abroad following the passing of a controversial new cultural heritage law.

 La Revue Blanche by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Toulouse-Lautrec posters sweep into Swann’s auction

15 July 2016

A series of posters by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec headlines the upcoming Vintage Posters sale at Swann Auction Galleries in New York.

Epistolae familiares by Cicero on vellum

Forum Auctions first sale tops £1m and is led by rare Cicero on vellum

15 July 2016

The inaugural sale held by new London saleroom Forum Auctions concluded yesterday with £1.1m raised (including premium) from 364 lots.

Chicago auctioneers extend their reach to Arizona

14 July 2016

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers are expanding their operations to Scottsdale, Arizona. This will be the firm’s sixth location outside their headquarters in Chicago.

Rocket Firing Boba Fett

Star Wars rarity – Boba Fett with firing rocket offered at Vectis’ auction

14 July 2016

The Rocket Firing Boba Fett has assumed legendary status among Star Wars collectors. Modelled in grey-blue plastic in advance of mass production by the Kenner factory in Ohio, it would forever remain a prototype figure.

David Bowie art collection Sotheby’s

Starman in the saleroom – David Bowie’s art collection heads to Sotheby’s

14 July 2016

Sotheby’s have announced that they will be selling David Bowie’s art collection in November.

Hornby Harry Potter electric train

Cumbria saleroom launch specialist vintage and antique toy auctions

13 July 2016

Dinky toys, antique dolls and a life-sized Dalek will be among the lots offered in Mitchells’ first ever ‘Vintage & Antique Toys’ auction at their Cockermouth saleroom later this month.

Tribal art and classic cars boost French auctioneers

13 July 2016

Auction houses in France have announced their first half-year sales figures.

Kate Malone’s First Big Pot

Studio pottery in the limelight as works by TV’s Kate Malone come to auction

12 July 2016

Studio pottery has been hogging the arts and crafts headlines for a while now. In recent years collectors have really taken this field to heart and items produced by 20th century designers such as Lucie Rie and Hans Coper have been drawing strong bids at auction.

Edith Lawrence linocut Cricket

Grosvenor School collection from artist’s family offered Yorkshire auction

11 July 2016

Tennants are staging a single-owner sale featuring a collection of Grosvenor School prints that come fresh to the market after they were found stored a family home of Edith Lawrence’s (1890-1973) great nephew.

Helena Newman of Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s appoint Helena Newman as European chairman

11 July 2016

Helena Newman has been appointed as chairman of Sotheby’s Europe. She will hold the new role in addition to her current position as co-head of Impressionist and Modern art worldwide.

Geoffrey Hurst's 1966 England shirt at Sotheby's

‘They think it’s all over’… England’s 1966 World Cup victory still holds special place in collecting market

11 July 2016

It may only be a few weeks until the 50th anniversary of the 1966 World Cup final but, judging by the way their team exited the Euros, England fans will have to wait a lot longer before their team ever again reaches the final a major football tournament.

Medieval ivory chess piece sold at Sotheby’s

King of the saleroom – medieval chess piece sells at £540,000

08 July 2016

A medieval chess piece produced one of the most exciting moments in Sotheby’s Treasures auction in London.

Christies Rubens Lot and his Daughters

Momentous Lot – Rubens raises the bar for an Old Master at Christie’s

08 July 2016

‘Lot and his Daughters’ by Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) sold for £40m at Christie’s last night, setting a house record for an Old Master painting.

Sloggi pants signed by Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker signed pants on offer at Stroud Auctions

07 July 2016

At the time, Gary Lineker’s promise to present the new season’s first Match of the Day in his underpants if Leicester City won the Premier League didn’t seem like a rash pledge to make.

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