The world’s largest auction house has published record sales figures for 2013 of GBP 4.54 billion, up 16 percent (US $7.13 billion, up 14 percent). These highest ever total figures for Christie’s are also the highest ever for any auction house in history.
New buyers now account for 22 percent of all global sales with increased online engagement driving sales, the company has revealed. Chinese buyers are mainly fuelling growth – 30 percent of all buyers in total were new.
“We continue to see a surge in interest across categories and across the globe, fuelled in large part by the online platform enabling greater connectivity between buyers, sellers and the objects of their pursuit,” said Steven P. Murphy, CEO of Christie’s.
“Our strategy to invest in new markets such as China, new channels such as Private Sales and online sales, and to build on our position at the leading auction house, has enabled Christie’s to grow. Our continuing goal is to provide more to our clients and to convene new clients to enjoy art, be it through auctions, exhibitions or online.”
Post-War and Contemporary Art saw a remarkable year with total sales of £1.3 billion ($2 billion) up 29 percent on the previous year (26 percent in USD). Notably in New York where Christie’s Fall evening sale realized $691.6 million, the highest total ever in the history of the art market.
Christie’s also had a record year in luxury goods sales with jewellery sales totalling £432 million ($678 million), a global year-on-year increase of 20 percent (18 percent in USD).
While online-only sales made up just a small fraction of overall sales, with £13.2 million ($20.8 million), the firm believes the digital platform has been key in attracting new buyers.
Forty-five percent of buyers on the online platform were new to Christie’s, with registrants from over 100 countries. The top price achieved in any online-only sale was $387,750 for an original Apple computer, now known as the Apple-1.
The highest price paid for a work of art in the live auction room via Christie’s LIVE™ was for Zao Wou-Ki’s 09.05.61 which netted HK $13.2 million (£1.1 million / $1.7 million). Unique visitors to Christies.com were also up 19 percent on 2012, to 20.6 million.
