Colin Gleadell points out that with the close of the first half of the year, Sotheby’s is hammering down art at a pace not far off the record run of the first half of 2008. We all know what happened in H2 of that year:

Sotheby’s auction sales for the first six months of the year reached $2.91 billion (£1.8 billion), a 35 per cent increase on last year, nearing its first six months record $2.95 billion in 2008. Christie’s auction sales figures are not yet available, but are thought to be close.

Contemporary sales review: one last burn for Britain? (Telegraph)