Art
An Illustrated Guide to Auction House Terminology
What is “chandelier bidding?” How do third-party guarantees work? And what are the “three D’s?”
Sotheby's
News
Sotheby's Cleaners and Porters Protest Outside London Contemporary Art Sale
Last night in London, a group of Sotheby's cleaners and porters protested outside the auction house, demanding that it implement the London Living Wage.
News
Lucian Freud's Silly and Suggestive Teenage Letters Go Up for Sale
Most of us would be embarrassed if private letters we'd written in the notorious naïveté of youth were read by strangers.
News
Making Sense of NYC's $1.5 Billion Art Auction Week
Listen up: $1.5 billion!
Art
An Illustrated Guide to Artist Resale Royalties (aka 'Droit de Suite')
American artists and legislators have been actively battling to introduce a national Artist Resale Royalty for almost half a century. Here is our illustrated introduction.
News
Sotheby's Lays Off Staff Amid Restructuring
Sotheby's auction house underwent a round of layoffs today as part of an internal restructuring, CNBC reported. The cuts, which come three days after the company announced a major partnership with eBay, were announced in a companywide meeting at 9am this morning, Hyperallergic has learned.
News
Sotheby's and eBay Join Forces for Online Auctions
Sotheby's auction house has tapped eBay to expand its offerings online, the companies announced in a joint statement today.
In Brief
Sotheby's Uses Instagram to Announce "Breaking News"
We're growing accustomed to the auction world's desire to be perceived as cool. First it was skateboarding videos, then selfies, and now "breaking news" via Instagram.
News
A "Priceless Piece of Cambodia's Cultural History" Has Been Returned After 40 Years
This week, we learned that two important Cambodian sandstone sculptures from the 10th century — one in the collection of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, and the other seized from Sotheby's New York in 2012 — will be returned to the Kingdom of Cambodia after being looted in the 1970s
Interview
Hirst Forgery Juror Speaks
A Florida pastor's recent conviction for selling forged Damien Hirst spin paintings provided an absurdist twist to the tired art-scam narrative. Witness: a clergyman debunked by Science Ltd. (the name of Hirst's studio).
News
Pastor Convicted for Selling Fake Damien Hirsts
Kevin Sutherland, the Florida pastor on trial for attempting to sell counterfeit Damien Hirst works, has been convicted in New York State Supreme Court. Jurors found Sutherland guilty of attempted grand larceny in the second degree.
News
The Hedge Fund Manager and the Auction House: A Brief Sotheby's Explainer
In October, we noted activist investor Dan Loeb's opening salvo in his battle with Sotheby's: a public letter that sought reforms, sane and otherwise, at the auction house. Within two days of receiving Loeb's screed, Sotheby's adopted what is called a "poison pill" provision. Two days ago, Loeb file