{"id":876,"date":"2021-12-16T00:28:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T00:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gallerynews.com\/current\/?p=876"},"modified":"2022-01-29T07:08:05","modified_gmt":"2022-01-29T07:08:05","slug":"sothebys-scores-another-record-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gallerynews.com\/current\/sothebys-scores-another-record-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Sotheby’s Scores Another Record Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Sotheby’s sales for 2021 surpass $7.3bn, the highest total in company history<\/em><\/strong>, reports theartnewspaper.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Proving once again that Art is Bigger Than Ever<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

In part, the eBay syndrome seems to be at work: people will gladly bid twice as much online for a piece they’d scarcely look at in real life. Nevertheless, only a piddling $800 million in sales were done online.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Why pay more online? Who knows?<\/p><\/div>\n

Quoth the article:<\/p>\n

\n

As the tail end of a second year governed by a global pandemic turns the corner and a new year hopefully less constricted by Covid-19 approaches, Sotheby\u2019s total sales for 2021 have reached $7.3bn, the highest in the company\u2019s 277-year history, and more than 68% higher than last year\u2019s total sales for the same period, which topped out at $5bn. And the auction house has 20-odd sales still to go.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Like many people, Bruce Chatwin worked for Sotheby’s in his early life.<\/p><\/div>\n

The landmark year shouldn\u2019t come as a complete surprise. The Covid-19 pandemic upended nearly every tradition and convention in the art market, from the art fair calendar<\/a> to how galleries sell<\/a> art online<\/a>. The auction houses were no exception. The inability to travel combined with a younger generation of well-heeled collectors who are new to the market, have a fondness for viewing things digitally and are keen to speculate meant the auction house was able to capitalise on the digital infrastructure they built out<\/a> in 2020.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read the whole thing, if you dare.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n