Following its global relay “ONE” sale in July, Christie’s will hold the first major sales run by the house’s newly merged modern and contemporary departments this October in addition to the traditional November. The hybrid live format day and evening sales will take place at the house’s Rockefeller Center location on October 6 and 7.
“We’re giving consignors and buyer multiple opportunities this fall to buy at auction,” Alex Rotter, Christie’s Chairman of Postwar and Contemporary Art in New York, said in an interview when asked what caused the scheduling shift. “These collectors are happily making use of a wide range of platforms, they are buying works across categories, and they certainly are not glued to the conventional auction schedule.”
Christie’s witnessed the success of Sotheby’s “Rembrandt to Richter” sale in June—an “unthinkable date,” according to Rotter—and decided it could also shift collectors’ calendars. But the move was also driven by a desire to seize on a bright moment for the art market, one which some prognosticators fear won’t last, due to the possibility of a second pandemic wave. “Rather than wait for the worst-case scenario, we decided to take advantage of the moment now as long as it holds,” Rotter said, adding that the house still plans to host its typical November sales, but is merely exploring its options with the October one.Continue Reading