Christie's Auction House

 Auction institutions     |      Network source    |    2023-06-02 13:59
Christie's Auction House
 
World renowned art auction house
 
Christie's auction house generally refers to Christie's
 

 
Christie's is one of the world's famous art auction houses. The auction brings together rare artworks, watches, jewelry, cars, and wines from around the world.
 
Christie's offices are located in 90 major cities worldwide and regularly hold auctions in 16 locations worldwide. In addition, they provide auction related services, including art storage and security, education, art image libraries, and property management. In 2005, Christie's global auction sales reached a record high of 1.8 billion pounds (3.2 billion US dollars), further confirming its leading position in the industry.
 
In December 2018, the "2018 Top 500 World Brands" compiled by the World Brand Laboratory was released, and Christie's ranked 271st.
 
Company Name: Christie's Foreign Language Name: CHRISTIES Established in 1766, Headquarters Location: London Business Scope: World Famous Art Auction Founder: James Christie's

Introduction
Christie's auction house, founded by James Christie in London in 1766, is the world's oldest art auction house. On December 5, 1766, James Christie's held his first auction in London; Since then, Christie's Auction House has been committed to providing customers with high-quality and excellent services. James Christie's, with his steady style, eloquence, and a strong sense of humor, evolved the auction into a delicate art and conducted several very important auctions between the 18th and 19th

centuries.
Development History Editing Broadcast
 
Founder
In 1766, a Scotsman from Perth, Australia, opened the first art auction house in London. His name was James Christie, so the auction house was called "Christie's Auction Company". At that time, it was the middle period of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, with a history of 255 years since today.
 
First Auction
Shortly after the opening of Christie's Company, Christie's prepared for its first auction on December 5, 1766, which caught the attention of the British public. Over the next two hundred years, Christie's company continued to do good things and its business grew larger and larger. In 1778, Christie's Company successfully valued the paintings collected by Sir Walter of Houghton and negotiated a sale price of 40000 pounds, all of which were transferred to the buyer, Queen Catherine of the Russian Empire. At that time, £ 40000 was an astronomical number for the average person.

In 1795, Christie's made two major deals, with a four day auction of Sir Reynolds' collection selling for 10319 pounds; With the authorization of Mrs. Dubali, her jewelry was auctioned off for nearly 10000 pounds. Two years later, the oil painting "Wedding Customs" by the famous British painter Hogarth sold for 1050 pounds. This is the first auction item to break through £ 1000.

Inherit one's father's business from another
In 1803, James Christie passed away and Little Christie took over the company. In his nearly 30 years in office, the auction performance was mediocre, but he moved the auction house from the original Paoer Road to 8 King Street, which has now become the headquarters of Christie's Company. In 1831, Little Christie's also died, and a person named William Manson joined the company and took charge of its affairs. As a result, the company was renamed "Christie's and Manson's Auction House".

However, during Manson's period, the auction performance was not very good. Only in 1848, a 40 day auction of the Duke of Buckingham's collection was held by borrowing Stuart Building, but it only sold 77562 pounds. In 1859, Thomas Woods joined the company and took over the reins of power. The company was renamed "Christie's, Manson, and Woods Auction House".
 
In 1876, the famous British landscape and portrait painter Gensboro (1727-1788)'s "The Duchess of Twenshaw" was auctioned by Christie's, becoming the first artwork to fetch 10000 pounds at auction. Afterwards, the value of famous oil paintings increased significantly. In 1882, Christie's held a 17 day auction at Hamilton Palace in London, where 11 oil paintings were favored by the National Gallery and sold for a total price of 397562 pounds. From then on, Christie's gained a great reputation throughout Europe.

During World War I
During World War I, Christie's organized a total of 7 charity auction events for the Red Cross, receiving over £ 400000 in total.
 
In 1926, British painter Romney (1734-1802) sold Lady Davenport for 60900 pounds, which was the most expensive artwork between the two World Wars. It is also worth mentioning that in 1928, 78 paintings taken from the Houghton Collection were auctioned off in one morning, earning a total of 364994 pounds.
 
After World War II
At the beginning of World War II, people were in a state of panic, and art auctions were at a low ebb. In 1941, during the "Great British Bombing" in London, the Christie's company's premises were severely damaged, further exacerbating the situation. The future office space was relocated to the east and west, and it was not until 1953 that a new building at 8 King Street was built in the old area that it was relocated back to its original location and settled down.

With the recovery of the post-war economy, wealthy merchants had money in their pockets again, and art sales began to flourish. In 1956, a Dutch painter Rembrandt's "The Statue of Tedders" sold for 798000 pounds. In 1970, it was even more unusual for the Spanish painter Velasquez (1599-1660) to sell "The Portrait of Juan de Parega" for 2.31 million pounds, making it the first artwork in auction history to break the record of 1 million pounds.
 
Since 1968, Christie's has been paying attention to expanding its overseas business. That year, it established its first overseas office in Geneva, specializing in jewelry business. In 1977, an office was established in New York, USA, and an auction was held, which was a great success. In 1979, a new office was established in New York, named "Dongjiashide". It is worth mentioning that in 1973, Christie's became a public investment joint-stock company and its stocks were listed on the London Stock Exchange, greatly enhancing the company's vitality.

Peak period
The auction company's instruments were developed by Christie's in the 1980s. In 1980, the works of Impressionism painters in Ford Collection in New York sold for 6 million pounds. Since then, the market for Impressionism paintings has been good, with the trend of coming from behind. In 1984, 71 works of great pre 18th century European painters collected by Ch á zworth were auctioned off, selling for a total of £ 20 million, with one of Raphael's works selling for £ 3.5 million. The auction held at the Elveden Hall in Suffolk in the same year also sold for 6.2 million pounds.
 
In 1985, a painting by Italian early Renaissance painter Mantania (1431-1506) titled "The Doctor's Visit" became the most expensive auction of works by pre 18th century European painters, reaching £ 8.1 million. Impressionism painting is also unwilling to lag behind. In 1986, Manet's "Mosner Paiwusi Street" was sold. 7.7 million pounds, the highest record for Impressionism works.
 
The good news is still ahead. 1987 was a glorious year for Christie's. Van Gogh's' Sunflowers' set a record high of £ 24.75 million. Another Van Gogh's "Chink Taylor Bridge" sold for 12.65 million pounds. A Degas work is worth £ 7.48 million. In addition, a Gutenberg Bible sold for 3.26 million pounds; A 64.83 carat Faraulay diamond sold for 3.84 million pounds; A Bugatti Louis sedan sold for £ 5.5 million. In 1988, works by Van Gogh, Picasso, and others achieved good results at auction, with works such as Van Gogh's "La Vox" selling for 13.75 million US dollars (7.33 million pounds) and Picasso's "The Young Clown Who Tricks" selling for 2.09 million pounds.

In 1989, Christie's did several major things: Renaissance painter Pontomo's "The Duke of Medici" sold for $35.2 million (£ 22.3 million), breaking all previous records for auctions of works by major European painters before the 18th century. There is also a brown table from Nikolai that sold for 12.1 million dollars (7.5 million pounds) in New York, which is considered a world record in art besides painting. At the same time, Christie's expanded its business in the East and established Swire Christie's Limited in Hong Kong, which was developed from Christie's establishment of its Hong Kong office in 1984. The person in charge of the Hong Kong company is Ms. Yuan Shuhua, who is proficient in Eastern art and has a wealth of collections. Under her leadership, the auctions of works by modern Chinese calligraphers and painters have received frequent success. In the spring of 1993 auction, 10 Chinese paintings sold for a total of HKD 15.267 million, with the highest being Zhang Daqian's "Wu Xia Yun Shan" for HKD 3.08 million; Ding Shaoguang's "White Night" was sold for HKD 2.2 million, setting a record for the highest auction of Chinese painting by a living Chinese artist. Although these auction results cannot be compared to world-renowned paintings, they are still a welcome step for Chinese painting to enter the world market.
 
In the 1990s, Christie's most boastful work was Van Gogh's "Dr. Garcher", which broke all auction records and sold for $82.5 million (£ 49.1 million).
 
On May 5, 2022 local time, the theme was "Brave Ukraine", hosted by the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK and hosted by Christie's Auction.

Chinese translation
Christie's Christie's Auction is a translation from Hong Kong, China, which was previously transliterated as "Christie's Auction" and widely used in mainland China. Both translations are mainly transliterated (similarly, Sotheby's Auction is referred to as Sotheby's Auction in Hong Kong).
 
Later, "Christie's" was registered as the only Chinese name, and mainland news media often used this translation method, but there are still a few media outlets that have followed the old translation method.
 
On the welcome page of Christie's official website, you can also see the traditional Chinese word "Christie's". But the main information on the website is still in English, with only welcome page prompts in other languages.

office 
Christie's offices are located in approximately 90 major cities around the world. Christie's main auction house in London is located in St. James, which has been in use since 1823. The second auction house in London is located in South Kensington. This auction house was opened in 1975 and is mainly responsible for the central market. The auction house in South Kensington is one of the busiest in the world. As of January 2009, Christie's auction houses have spread all over the world, including Chinese Mainland, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Argentina, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Japan, the United States, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico.

Asia Business
With the increasing global interest in Asia, the diverse and outstanding Asian art has deeply attracted people from all walks of life, and Asia is also a gathering point for treasures from around the world, which has enabled Christie's business in Asia to flourish.
 
First auction
Christie's deep relationship with Asia began with the first auction in 1766, when exquisite craftsmanship from Asia was auctioned off. Two hundred years later, in 1969, Christie's first Asian auction was held at the Tokyo Art Club in Japan. The auction included fine arts and crafts in Japan, China and Europe, Chinese calligraphy and painting in the 19th century, and Impressionism and modern paintings. In 1973, Christie's first office in Asia officially opened in Tokyo.
 
Secondary auction
Subsequently, Christie's auction in Hong Kong began in 1986. The first auction focused mainly on paintings and jade jewelry from the 19th and 20th centuries, with a total auction turnover of over HKD 14 million (approximately $1.79 million). A year later, porcelain and miscellaneous items were also included in the auction project. Nowadays, Christie's in Hong Kong launches two auctions every year, one at the end of May and the other at the end of November. There are up to ten types of auctions, ranging from ancient Chinese art to contemporary Asian avant-garde art, Western jewelry, jade, and watches.

March on a large scale
With the growing business, Christie's has entered Asia and set up offices in various places, including Taipei, China, Singapore, Shanghai, China (the first international auction house's office in Chinese Mainland), Beijing, Mumbai, India, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Seoul, South Korea and Bangkok, Thailand; Christie's also granted its trademark rights to Beijing Yongle International Auction Co., Ltd. based in China. In every country where Christie's representative offices are located, each representative serves as a bridge between customers and experts, while providing customers with auction information from Christie's around the world.
 
Successful shooting examples
Famous veteran artist Wu Jialing's freehand traditional Chinese painting, Christie's, held different auctions in different countries and regions in the 1990s. For example, the first auction of ancient Chinese calligraphy and painting was held in Taipei, China in 1993, and the first auction of Chinese imperial art boutiques was held in Hong Kong, China. Singapore also held the first auction of Southeast Asian art and indigenous Chinese porcelain, gold, and silver. In 1998, the Taipei office added a special shoot for 20th century and contemporary Chinese art, and the Bangkok office also held a special shoot for Thai paintings in 1999.

Marching into the mainland
Landing in the Shanghai market
Christie's has become the first international auction house approved to independently conduct auction business in Chinese Mainland, and plans to hold an auction in Shanghai this autumn.
 
Christie's has been approved by Shanghai Municipality to establish a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in Chinese Mainland, which can engage in auction, import and export of auctions, exhibition, art consultancy, training and other related services. Since 2008, the number of collectors from Chinese Mainland in Christie's global auction has doubled. It is a long-term dream for Christie's Auction Company to enter the Chinese Mainland market. Since its first office was opened in Chinese Mainland in 1994, Christie's Auction Company has been constantly exploring the possibility, but it has not been approved. In 2012, Christie's competitor Sotheby's formed a joint venture with Beijing Gehua Cultural Development Group. Unexpectedly, Christie's came from behind and was allowed to "land" in Shanghai as a sole proprietorship.

Marching into Chinese Mainland
Christie's auction house in Britain will spend a huge amount of money to enter the Chinese Mainland market, which is the first time in its 240 years of history, causing widespread media attention here.
Christie's Auction House has decided to hold its first auction in Shanghai, China on September 26, 2013. At that time, 42 high-end auction items will be auctioned, with a market valuation of over 16 million US dollars. The 42 items to be auctioned include diamond inlaid jewelry from Paris, sculptures from contemporary Asian artists, paintings by major painters such as Picasso and Warhol, as well as many famous wines from the village of Margaux in Bordeaux, France. The commentary said that this reflected the prosperity of the wine market in Chinese Mainland.

Related events
2008 Autumn Auction
The 2008 autumn auction of Christie's in Hong Kong was held in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 29 to December 3, 2008. This auction includes 16 categories of collection treasures, from traditional handicrafts, ancient paintings to contemporary artworks from South Korea, Japan, Chinese Mainland, India and the whole Southeast Asia region that show the cutting-edge of the times. There are also many gorgeous jewelry and precious watches on display.
 
This auction, following 2001, has once again held a famous wine auction in Asia, including a collection of famous wines directly from the world-renowned Bordeaux winery Chateau Latour, which cannot be missed.
 
Christie's autumn auction has added many cities worldwide. Moscow and Abu Dhabi have been added to the itinerant exhibition plan. The itinerant exhibition cities in Chinese Mainland, together with the previous exhibition cities Beijing and Shanghai, have joined Taiyuan, Shanxi for the first time. This demonstrates global confidence and demand in the Asian art market, and will also allow more collectors to appreciate Christie's unparalleled art treasures.

Yuanmingyuan Auction Event
In late October 2008, Christie's announced that it would auction the bronze animal head, mouse head, and rabbit head bronze statues of China's Yuanmingyuan from February 23 to 25, 2009 in Paris, France. After the news came out, it triggered a heated debate among the people in Chinese Mainland, and nearly 100 people formed a legal team to pursue. On February 24, 2009, the French court approved the auction.
 
On the evening of February 25, 2009, at 8:00 pm local time, at the "Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berger Collection" auction held at the Grand Palace in Paris, France, the mouse head with number 677 started selling for 9 million euros. No one raised a sign at the 1200 seat venue, only three telephone buyers were competing to bid. The auctioneer referred to the telephone agent as "Douma". After bidding for 10 million, 11 million, 12 million, and 13 million yuan, Moushou finally clinched a deal with 14 million euros. Afterwards, the rabbit head with number 678 was directly auctioned for 10 million euros and ultimately sold for 14 million euros. The buyer also participated in the auction via phone.
 
In less than 5 minutes, the two beast heads have become trading hands, totaling approximately 280 million yuan. Thomas Seydoux purchased it as an agent for a mysterious buyer, while Christie's did not disclose the true identity of the buyer. On March 2, 2009, the head of the beast was identified as Cai Mingchao, a famous collector in Chinese Mainland.
 
The National Cutural Heritage Administration of China has clearly denied Christie's auction of the rat head and rabbit head bronze statues of the Yuanmingyuan lost overseas in spite of the public's opposition in Chinese Mainland and the Chinese government's repeated urging, and will strengthen the review and management of Christie's auction house's activities in Chinese Mainland.

2013 Spring Auction 2.6 billion yuan
On May 30, 2013, the six day Hong Kong Christie's 2013 Spring Art Exhibition and Auction ended, with a total transaction of 2.6 billion yuan. The 75.36 carat water droplet shaped diamond sold for 11 million US dollars, as well as the Ming Dynasty painter Zhou Chen's "Yangtze River Miles" and modern painter Chang Yu's "Two Girls in Front of the Curtain" sold for 6.7 million US dollars and 5.8 million US dollars respectively, became the focus of this spring auction.
 
Hong Kong Christie's has had a strong momentum in this spring auction, with some collectors stating that the items collected this time are very good even before the auction began. The auction of ancient Chinese calligraphy and painting showed an exceptionally strong trend from the beginning. Among nearly 200 auctions, the Ming Dynasty painter Zhou Chen's "Yangtze River Miles" was valued at HKD 8 million to HKD 10 million, and ultimately sold at a high premium of HKD 41.35 million. It was purchased by private collectors in Asia and set a world auction record for artists. Zhou Chen was a famous professional painter in the mid Ming Dynasty of China, skilled in painting figures and landscapes with strict and meticulous techniques. Tang Yin and Qiu Ying were both students of Zhou Chen.
 
Among them, painter Choi Ru chuo's "Thousand Mountains Flying Snow" was sold for HKD 77.15 million after intense bidding. This is the second time the work has appeared at Christie's in Hong Kong. It was sold for HKD 15.5608 million in 2006, a nearly fourfold increase in seven years.
Christie's Asia President Gao Yilong stated that this season's auction fully confirms the continuous increase in art attention among collectors and art enthusiasts, and Hong Kong has also consolidated its industry-leading position as the world's third largest art center after London and New York.
 

Egypt criticizes Britain for not preventing Christie's auction of Egyptian artifacts in London
On July 8, 2019, a joint meeting was held between the Egyptian Ministry of Cultural Relics, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Prosecutor's Office, criticizing the relevant British departments for not taking measures to prevent the auction of Egyptian cultural relics by Christie's in London. The representatives at the meeting said that Egypt has hired British lawyers and will take legal action against Christie's to recover the cultural relics. However, they also stated that Egypt looks forward to working with relevant British departments to prevent this batch of cultural relics from continuing to be "smuggled out of the UK".
 
Auction of the third largest Martian meteorite on Earth
From February 9th to 23rd, 2022, Christie's auction house held an online auction of meteorites and related items, with one meteorite from Mars having the highest estimated price, reaching $800000. According to Christie's auction house, the meteorite weighs about 9.1 kilograms and is a material that fell off the surface of Mars after being impacted by an asteroid and ultimately landed on Earth. A nomadic tribe in Mali discovered this Martian meteorite in the Sahara Desert in December 2018, and it has been identified by experts as the third largest Martian meteorite discovered on Earth. This meteorite is mainly composed of calcium pyroxene crystals, which are grayish green in color and have a molten crust formed by the meteorite during its entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
 
Cancel Russian Art Auction
On March 16, 2022, Christie's cancelled the Russian art auction originally scheduled for June in London.
 
Marilyn Monroe Portrait Auction
On May 9, 2022 local time, a portrait of Marilyn Monroe by American pop artist Andy Warhol was auctioned at Christie's in New York for a record breaking $195 million (approximately RMB 1.314 billion).
 
228.31 Carat White Diamond
In May 2022, a 228.31 carat white diamond was auctioned off in Geneva, Switzerland on the 11th and sold for 21.7 million Swiss francs (approximately 147 million yuan). This is the largest white diamond that has ever appeared in auction history.
 
The world's most expensive painting was born and sold for 3 billion yuan! Leonardo da Vinci's "The Savior" was auctioned for $450 million. What was the origin of this painting, and it was sold for such a high price? What was the history of this painting before this?