In May this year, Picasso's
Nude, Green Leaves and Bust set a world record for the most expensive piece of art sold at auction. It went for a whopping £70m at Christie's in New York. I'd say it's a fairly safe bet that no matter how wealthy the buyer, he/she must have had a bead of sweat running down their back when they made that final bid and heard the auctioneer's gavel slam down on the wooden block.
"Sold to the hyper-ventilating person at the back!"
It's a lot of money in anyone's book.
London is home to several large auction houses, including
Sotheby's, founded in 1744.
Christie's and
Bonhams, are two other houses of note with premises in the capital. It's a little known fact that anyone can attend an auction and enjoy the drama of a bidding war.
A really prized item can fetch millions of pounds, the result of fierce bidding, often coming down to a back-and-forth between two parties. A subtle nod can increase the value of an item by thousands of pounds. The same goes for an involuntary twitch, but hopefully the auctioneer is astute enough to be able to tell the difference between the two.
Christie's, founded more than 240 years ago, is located
between Green Park and St. James's Square.
Sotheby's is at
34-35 New Bond Street.
Bonham's, operating since 1793, is close to Sotheby's at
101 New Bond Street.
While viewing an auction is free, you'll get a lot more out of it if you purchase a catalogue showing what's being auctioned, giving some background to the work coming under the hammer. Alternatively, do your research on the net before you go.
Much of the art on auction is going straight to a private collector, so never sees the light of day in a public museum. In other words, time it right and you could get to see some very special artworks that most other people will never be lucky enough to enjoy.
You'll find a dazzling array of items in the auctions, from Islamic and Indian art to fine musical instruments. For information on what auctions are happening at Sotheby's, click
HERE. For Christie's, click
HERE and for Bonhams, click
HERE. Be sure to confirm the precise location of the auction as the calendars show sales taking place all over the world.
A big-money auction can be tremendously exciting but be mindful of the fact that it's also serious business. So sit back, keep your hands in your pockets and enjoy the action – unless you have a wallet larger than London itself, of course.
