We've reached the end of yet another auction season and there were a few surprises to say the least. As usual, Heffel's auction was the biggest success this time around with total sales of $11,502,270.00, including the 17% buyer's premium. This is right at the high end of their pre-sale estimate. But, what was interesting was the sheer strength of the historical canadian art versus the post-war. The post-war sale totalled...
Understanding auction season
The arts sections in Canadian papers get filled up twice a year with live auction build-up in the weeks leading up to the auctions and subsequent coverage after the fact. ‘Consignor, ‘buyers premium,’ and ‘at the hammer’ are the phrases you will read over and over again in the descriptions of the sale, but auctions can be confusing and a little overwhelming if you’re unfamiliar with the art market.
Below is some basic etiquette,...
Last night, members and visitors to the Art Gallery of Ontario flooded into the auditorium for the sold out talk on Picasso and the Art Market, presented in partnership with Sotheby's Canada. Molly Ott Ambler, Director of Day Sales, and Elizabeth Gorayeb, Vice President, flew up from Sotheby's, New York, to share with us Canadians a bit about the history of Picasso in the art market, how his prices were realized, why he...
It's a big day in the Canadian art world. Twice a year, everyone in the business pauses to see what will happen at the three big art auctions in Toronto. Collectors want to make sure they aren't overpaying for paintings from a dealer, and dealers want to ensure they aren't undercharging a client. For better or worse, it works both ways. Prices that were offered...
"as an auction house professional in manhattan, theartmarket.ca is the best resource site out there to keep up to date on every aspect of the canadian art market. i've recently discovered the my calendar feature, which has been extremely helpful while i have been planning my trip to vancouver this spring.
merete and kate have filled the art resource void with this site. we should continue to expect great things from theartmarket.ca."
molly gron, bonhams, new york
