The big spring sales of
Sotheby’s, which move billions of dollars, will be carried out this year without public and entirely at a distance because of the pandemic, the auction house announced on Friday.
New York City has not yet announced a date to lift the strict lockdown that has been in place since late March to combat the spread of the coronavirus, nor has it announced a timetable to resume economic activity.
In view of this, Sotheby’s opted for getting ahead of the game and hosting their No Spectator Modern and Contemporary Art Sales on June 29.
The auction house’s president for Europe, Oliver Barker, will lead the auction from London, broadcast live on the internet.
The company’s specialists will be spread simultaneously in several cities around the world, including New York, and will respond live to buyers’ calls.
Collectors will also be able to bid directly online.
“In my nearly 30 years in the (art) market, this never happened,” confirmed Amy Cappellazzo, president in charge of fine arts at Sotheby’s, during a video conference on how to organize sales of this magnitude.
“But we are fortunate to be equipped with exceptional technology that enables this, whereas it would have been impossible 5 years ago,” he added.
Three consecutive sales will be made on June 29, in the same format.
The sale of works from the collection of Ginny Williams, an American who made her fortune on cable television, will be followed by the contemporary art collection, which will end with the afternoon dedicated to the Impressionists and modern art.
Among the iconic works on offer is a triptych by American painter Francis Bacon, L’Orestie d’Eschyle, estimated at $ 60 million.
Also on offer will be the 1947-Y No. 1 painting by the American Clyfford Still, estimated at between 25 and 35 million dollars, and the White Brushstroke I painting, by the also American Roy Liechtenstein, valued at between 20 and 30 million.
Sotheby’s chose to keep its sales up for the end of June unlike its great competitor, Christie’s, which will have theirs only on July 10, a very unusual delay.
To justify its decision, Sotheby’s explained that the coincidence of dates so far was aimed at allowing a significant number of buyers to travel to New York to attend all the major home sales in the same week.
But restrictions on international travel remain in place in many countries, including the United States, which will significantly limit the number of people physically present in July at Christie’s sales, which will be open to the public.
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