The increase in the offer at the level of masterpieces proposed by Christie's in 2017 largely met continued demand, leading to a 33% increase to $5,9 billion in consideration. Sales in the Americas increased by +68% to $3,2 billion, sales in Asia totaled +11% to $754,9 million, while sales in Europe and the Middle East totaled to 2 billion dollars with a +11%
Auction sales - traditional - led to growth of 33% for a total of 5,9 billion dollars, while sales - online - reached 72,4 million dollars and +8%. 2017. New buyers over £40m increased by 1%, with the number of works sold over £10m going from 26 in 2016 to 65 in 2017. Private sales however saw a 32% drop. realized 611,8 million. New buyers accounted for 31%. Online sales remained the top entry point for new shoppers (37%). In traditional and online auctions, the first two categories that attracted new buyers were Luxury (28%) and Decorative Arts (18%).
The continued growth of the Asian customer base has supported an increase in purchases from the same region (+39%) to account for 31% of global spend. Spending for Asian customers increased at the highest price levels (over £1m), an increase of 63%. Purchases from Asia in online sales increased by 23%, driven by purchases of Asian art and luxury products. There were 15 Asian art sales last year, including the “Art of China” series, with an average of 92% lot sales and the value of Asian art sold online increased by 32%.
New York records a 68% increase in auction sales (62% in $), we recall the world record sale of Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci. Further successes have included Fujita's record sale Museum Collection last March, which totaled $262,8 million. Other highlights were The endormie muse of Constantine Brancusi ($57.367.500, a world auction record for the artist), Laboreur dans un champ of Vincent van Gogh ($ 81.312.500), Contraste de formes by Fernand Léger ($70.062.500, a world auction record for the artist) e Cy Leda and the Swan by twombly ($52,887,500). American buyers accounted for 32% of global spending, having spent 22% more at auctions at Christie's than in 2016.
European and Middle Eastern customers spent 52% more at Christie's auctions than in 2016, accounting for 37% of customer spending globally. London King Street Auction sales increased by 23% (18% in $), with a significant increase in new buyers, up 33% from 2016. New for the year is the record sale Of Hölle der Vögel di Max Beckman (Birds's Hell), which sold for £36.005.000 in June. October sales held during the week of Frieze were highlighted by Red Skull's Jean-Michel Basquiat (1982), which sold for £16.546.250. The post-war and contemporary art evening sale reached £134.076.500, the highest figure for an evening sale in the category in Europe. The fashion crowd has gathered for the September pre-sale display of the collection by Audrey Hepburn and launched the new Christie's Lates Access Program, an initiative of after-hours public events in London and New York.
Paris increased its auction sales by 49% (44% in $), as it spanned a variety of categories, led by a number of major private collections. The first auction was held in March, when the works of Giacometti of the collection Hubert de Givenchy they were 100% sold. In September, the two-day sale of the collection of Alberto Pinto of nearly 1.000 lots per category, it totaled more than triple its pre-sale estimate. During the week FIAC of October, Grand Femme II di Alberto Giacometti realized €24.907.500 in the sale of Avant-Garde, the most expensive work sold in France in 2017. The collection Prat FIAC closed the week, with Jim Crow by Jean-Michel Basquiat which realizes €15,007,500. Sales in Geneva in November totaled CHF144.007.100, attracting over 4.600 visitors to view lots including theArt of de Grisogono, the biggest D-color diamond flawless ever auctioned, which set a new world auction record when it realized 33.500.000 francs and the seventh edition of the charity sale Only watch, which was 100% sold and raised CHF 10.776.500.
The category Impressionist and Modern Art (including Modern British Art, American Paintings and Latin American Paintings) increased by 60% and £1,2bn ($1,6bn, up 53%). Six world auction records were made during the New York Impressionist and Modern Evening Sale in November, with Plowman di Vincent van Gogh which made $81,312,500 and the Form contrast di Fernand leger which realizes $70,062,500. The sale totaled $479.320.250, a 95% increase from the November 2016 evening sale.
The department Post-War & Contemporary achieved total revenue of £1,2 billion, up 25% ($1,6 billion, +20%). Highlights of the year include Francis Bacon's Three Studies for a Portrait of George Dyer ($51,767,500), Cy Twombly's Leda and the Swan ($52,887,500), and Andy Warhol's Sixty Last Suppers ($60,875,000).
Decorative Arts & Design sales rose 20% to £191,4 million ($247,8 million, up 15%), including the sale of Robert de Balkany in London in March, totaling £15.441,313, and the Collector Series across London, New York and Paris salesrooms, totaling £13.249.836 / $17.504.746 / €14.828.992.
Asian art sales jump 50% to £704,6m ($912,4m, up 44%), highlighted by a gorgeous pair of 'butterfly' vases pink family sold for £14.725.000 in London in May and Hong Kong in November, which amounted to HK$3,43 billion, during which a world record auction price for an oil painting by an Asian artist was set for 29.01.64 .202.600.000 by Zao Wou-Ki (HK$XNUMX).
And finally, sales of Old Master, 547,6th Century and Russian Art paintings totaled £137m, up 709,2% ($127m, +XNUMX%), with one of the highlights being the year including The Rialto bridge di Francesco Guardi Palace of the Camerlenghi, which made 26.205.000 in the classic July week in London. Luxury sales (including jewellery, watches, wine and handbags) totaled £530m, down 5% ($686,3m, down 9%). One of the best batches for 2017 included Le Grand Mazarin, a 19.07 carat light pink diamond and one of the most famous and important Golconda diamonds in history, which was sold for 14.375.000 francs in Geneva in November.
There was also a slight increase in overall sales of World Art and Science & Books were £123,6 million, up 3% ($160,1 million, down 1%), including a world auction record for a cipher puzzle that sold for $547,500 to a bidder online during the New York June Book and Manuscript Sale and the Telescope's Albert Einstein, sold for $432,500 in New York in December, which set a world auction record for any scientific object owned by Einstein offered at auction.
