 
Auction Houses Around The World
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.
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). 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."
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 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.
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. 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.
Where better to find original artwork than wealthy and fashionable
London? Unlike the splintering Australian market or the sparse
Canadian market, the bustling London market is full of amicable
partnerships. Auction houses such as Christie's Europe, leads the
way with $4.6 billion in annual sales, innovative online interactive
auctions, over 600 shows each year, multiple translators and a huge
collection of Indian and Asian art ranging from $200 to over $80
million. For people in search of contemporary art for sale, Andy
Warhols are in large supply. Also, Christie's recently topped the
marketplace in October's Post War and Contemporary Art Week sales
(exceeding $135 million)!
Art investment and collecting is as good an excuse for a vacation as
any! The best way to find new pieces is to scope them out online and
attend an auction or event like the annual Frieze Art Fair in
London. Auction houses around the world are enticing buyers looking
for a particular niche - whether it's an Andy Warhol, Post War Art,
Indian, Aboriginal or Contemporary Art.
Art Auctions Information
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