Auction Review – 1st Half 2019

• Analyst: Lindsay Dewar
• Pages: 16

Global auction sales from Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips ended up at $5.55 billion in 2019, down 20.3% from first half 2018. The decline in auction sales had already started in the second half of 2018, resulting in just an 8.9% increase in total auction sales for 2018, after a 22% jump in sale in the first half of 2018.

Highlights:

• Global auction down up 20.3% in first half of 2019.
• All three auction houses experience decline in the first 6 months of the year.
• Sotheby’s gains market share at Christie’s and Phillips expense.
• New York maintains market share and Hong Kong strength- ens its position as the third hub in the first half of 2019.

• Post-War & Contemporary market back on top with 2.7% increase in sales.

About this report:

This report presents in instant comparative analysis of all auction sales (excluding online-only sales) at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips in the first 6 months of 2019 (compared to the same period last year). The report allows you to quickly see which auction house is trending, and what collecting segments are the key drivers of growth.

Analytical tools:

Quarter-on-quarter sales trends across all categories: 

Market share by location and auction house

Market share by collecting category

Sell-through rates

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