Art Market

The migration to online sales that has occurred during the lockdown has brought about some noticeable changes to the art market. These include, not least, the profile of buyers at auctions.

Auctions may be down in number but pre-lockdown sales provided some positive market signs

Sir Oswald Birley (1880-1952) is among the artists most represented in UK public collections. Art UK records 173 works in national museums and institutions, National Trust properties and local museums.

Seven lots by celebrated local artist Percy Kelly (1918-93) put in a decent performance at the most recent Antiques & Fine Art sale held by Cumbrian saleroom Mitchells (22% buyer’s premium).

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales including a pencil and watercolour by Russian artist Vladimir Polunin.

Two consignments of works directly from artists' estates added a distinctive flavour to Chiswick Auctions’ (25% buyer’s premium) latest Modern & Post-War British Art sale.

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales including a Frank O Salisbury portrait.

One of the side-effects for the art market of being in a lockdown is that people have more time to discover works that they might have otherwise missed or overlooked.

Works by the prolific John Bellany (1942-2013) appear regularly at auction, with small drawings often available for hundreds of pounds, but the larger and vigorously coloured figurative oils generally make many thousands.

The London auction house holds its first online-only sale dedicated to a single dealer

Unlike in other parts of Europe where portraits of children were a rare phenomenon, the Dutch Republic experienced a rapid increase in this genre of painting between 1500-1700.

Samuel Palmer (1805-81) prints are not unusual on the market but one of two that were offered as a single lot at Chorley’s (22.5% buyer’s premium) in Cheltenham carried an interesting inscription by the artist’s son, AH Palmer.

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales including a Brangwyn and Urushibara woodcut

The bohemian lives of the Bloomsbury Group of artists have long been a source of fascination for the British public.

Giant of the Welsh art market takes the limelight with an intriguing yellow-infused work

The sale of portrait miniatures held online by Chiswick Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) included a watercolour on ivory of the artist William Holman Hunt (1827-1910).

Self-portraits are among the earliest prints that Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69) made, accounting for a large portion of his etching output when he was in his 20s and living in Leiden.

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales including a Frizzell oil on canvas

Artist battles back to regain favour with auctioneers, private buyers and dealers

A group of pictures from the collection of the late art dealer Duncan Campbell, who died in 2011, were among the lots drawing interest at Dreweatts.