Auction Houses Photography Shack Guide
Auction Houses Selling Around The World
By Jane Lovell
The appeal of art is universal, but the marketplace
is as diverse as painting styles. Auction houses around
the world enjoy varying levels of success, with some
promising new businesses located in Canada, England
and Australia.
Some of the neatest home décor evolves from the wealthy,
world traveler’s eye for detail, while jet-setting from
country to country. They pick up their treasures on
vacation and cherish that special memento for life,
all the while impressing guests with their art investment
bought from auction houses.
Started circa 1995 in Vancouver on the West Coast of
Canada, far from the wealthy art enthusiast base in
Toronto, Heffel House was taking an obvious gamble.
The Canadian market is not reported to be particularly
busy, but Heffel House aimed to find the best and rarest
Canadian art (like Emily Carr’s Eagle Totem priced at
$250,000 and a Haida totem pole carved by a Bill Reid).
Business Skyrocketed Once Entire Collection Was Online
They also took a smart business detour, by putting
their entire collection up online in full color for
all to see. Quickly, their business skyrocketed with
Vancouver locals, Pennsylvanians and even Torontonians
coming in to snag the "undervalued" original
art for sale.
Owner Robert Heffel told the National Post, "Our
goal was, in the first five years, to have a $1-million
auction, and in our first auction, we sold over $1-million
just like that…. I don’t think people realize the power
of the internet for this industry."
Monthly Fine Art Auctions Online
Heffel.com
is the only Canadian auction house that puts their entire
catalogue of Canadian and international art on their
website. They hold monthly fine art auctions online
and find that clients are eager to purchase pieces,
while the prices are still relatively low.
Whether buyers are looking to review their options
for figures, watercolor art, oil paintings of animals
or landscapes, Emily Carr or John Geoffery Caruthers,
Heffel auction house continues to grow at a surprising
rate.
Selling Art In Australia
Australia has a capricious art marketplace, with auction
houses frequently splintering off into smaller operations.
The competition of elbow bumping art auctioneers includes:
Bonham & Goodman, MossGreen, Joel Fine Art, Deutscher-Menzies,
Sotheby’s and Deutscher & Hackett.
Frontrunners Deutscher and Hackett had sales last year
that topped $26 million and ran a $7-million auction
recently, selling Brett Whiteley’s "View From the
Sitting Room Window, Lavender Bay" for $1.5 million
and Russell Drysdale’s "Red Landscape" for
just over $1 million.
Local And International Art
Art consultant Ian Rogers told Australia’s Fairfax
Digital / The New Age, "I don’t think [the market]
is expanding quickly enough to accommodate all of the
players." What can art collectors expect from one
of Deutscher & Hackett’s massive fine art auctions?
They have Tom Roberts, John Brack, Ian Fairweather,
Arthur Boyds, Whiteley, Gascoigne and Dale Hickey, to
name a few. Also look out for a wider selection of international
art. "I am very excited about taking the opportunity
of being so close to Asia," says Deutscher himself.
Popular Auction Houses In Europe
Europe seems like the logical location for some of
the world’s most profitable auction houses, with 17%
of Europe’s high net-worth individuals, according to
a Merrill Lynch survey.
Smattered amid $141 million mansions held by Indian-born
tycoons, the $8 million houses that compromise 65% of
the central London real estate market is a plethora
of highly regarded auction houses.
Sales Reps Talk In Multiple Languages
Christie’s, the leader with over $4.6 billion annual
profit, has a very bustling London branch. Christie’s
Europe attracts international buyers with their diverse
sales reps who speak everything from Russian and German
to Chinese and English, to accommodate the diversity
of their clients.
Art enthusiasts can find the best selection in art
from Dubai, India and the United Arab Emirates, in one
of Christie’s 600 auctions. They’ve launched a Live,
real-time online bidding service which delivers all
the sights and sounds of the auction onto people’s PC’s,
bringing the global community together in unprecedented
ways.
Finding Original Art For Low Prices
While the markets may be disparate, they each have
something unique to offer. The international giants
like Christie’s can be enticing, but often expensive,
whereas the smaller niches in Canada remain the art
collectors’ best kept secret.
In an undervalued market, many can find amazing Inuit
pieces and can buy original art for low prices. Australia
auction houses have been trying to include more Aboriginal
art for the history lovers.
About the Author:
Jane Lovell has written a number of articles on art, digital photography including
Best Digital Cameras,
Mini Digital Camera,
Photographer School,
Portrait Photography,
Still Photography,
Boudoir Photography,
Amateur Photography,
Photography Backdrop,
Photography Tips,
Digital Photography Tips,
Photography Studio.
Keep a lookout for more articles coming soon.
More Art Auctions Facts....
What can I expect my art piece to sell for?
That is an impossible question
to answer without knowing exactly what you have. A DaVinci
will sell for a whole lot more money than your neighbor’s
daughter’s finger painting.
No one can give you an accurate
estimate of your art work by just going on a description.
It takes the trained eye of a professional in order
to determine what it is worth.
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