Art auctions

roger1 · May 3rd, 2009, 06:09 AM

Does anyone regularly attend art/paintings auctions in their local area?
If so, do you have any particular strategy for buying the painting that you have selected or do you just go along and bid for whatever takes your fancy?
Does your local auction house have any particular practices that you would like to tell us about?
My local auction house in Nottingham England holds a weekly auction which includes a paintings section and is mostly patronised by dealers from the area which does spoil things a bit for the private collector with limited means. But there are bargains to be had.

John · May 4th, 2009, 01:25 AM

I go to art auctions sometimes, not regularly, and what I really like to do is research the artists and the works. I'm the opposite of an impulse buyer -- I go back to the catalog again and again, solicit the input of others whose judgment I respect, check out the artist online, check past sales of his or her work, try to figure out how this particular work fits into his or her career, etc.

That way, even if you don't get the work or maybe decide not to even bid, at least you've had some fun and come away with a slightly deeper understanding of the field.

John · May 4th, 2009, 01:33 AM

P.S. I also use the Web to monitor sales at auction houses worldwide. Many houses have extremely good catalogs online these days, with huge reproductions of the works for sale, and there are also services such as Artprice who will send you an email if a work comes up for sale at one of the houses they monitor.

There are several artists I get alerts on, artists I collect in a small way or am connected to. Why limit yourself to auctions in your town alone? I'm always annoyed when I discover that a work I might have been interested in has sold, especially if it goes cheap, so I use alerts to minimize that.

roger1 · May 4th, 2009, 03:05 AM

Thanks for your views. Sounds like a good strategy and will certainly increase your knowledge of Art along the way.
I also receive emails from various auction houses which are interesting to look through and if possible follow up.
Thanks for the info on Artprice which I didn't know. I have now signed up.

John · May 5th, 2009, 12:21 AM

FYI, I think it's free to sign up with Artprice, but all you get in their basic alert is some information about the work along with the date and city. You need to pay a small amount in order to get full information including the auction house. It's a pretty good (but not exhaustive) service and I don't mind paying, although some of the time it's quite guessable who the auction house is, even if you don't pay.

May 3rd, 2009, 06:09 AM	#1
roger1 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Posts: 171	Art auctions Does anyone regularly attend art/paintings auctions in their local area? If so, do you have any particular strategy for buying the painting that you have selected or do you just go along and bid for whatever takes your fancy? Does your local auction house have any particular practices that you would like to tell us about? My local auction house in Nottingham England holds a weekly auction which includes a paintings section and is mostly patronised by dealers from the area which does spoil things a bit for the private collector with limited means. But there are bargains to be had.

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May 4th, 2009, 01:25 AM	#2
John John Malyon, host Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 2,400	I go to art auctions sometimes, not regularly, and what I really like to do is research the artists and the works. I'm the opposite of an impulse buyer -- I go back to the catalog again and again, solicit the input of others whose judgment I respect, check out the artist online, check past sales of his or her work, try to figure out how this particular work fits into his or her career, etc. That way, even if you don't get the work or maybe decide not to even bid, at least you've had some fun and come away with a slightly deeper understanding of the field.

May 4th, 2009, 01:33 AM	#3
John John Malyon, host Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 2,400	P.S. I also use the Web to monitor sales at auction houses worldwide. Many houses have extremely good catalogs online these days, with huge reproductions of the works for sale, and there are also services such as Artprice who will send you an email if a work comes up for sale at one of the houses they monitor. There are several artists I get alerts on, artists I collect in a small way or am connected to. Why limit yourself to auctions in your town alone? I'm always annoyed when I discover that a work I might have been interested in has sold, especially if it goes cheap, so I use alerts to minimize that.

May 4th, 2009, 03:05 AM	#4
roger1 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Posts: 171	Thanks for your views. Sounds like a good strategy and will certainly increase your knowledge of Art along the way. I also receive emails from various auction houses which are interesting to look through and if possible follow up. Thanks for the info on Artprice which I didn't know. I have now signed up.

May 5th, 2009, 12:21 AM	#5
John John Malyon, host Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 2,400	FYI, I think it's free to sign up with Artprice, but all you get in their basic alert is some information about the work along with the date and city. You need to pay a small amount in order to get full information including the auction house. It's a pretty good (but not exhaustive) service and I don't mind paying, although some of the time it's quite guessable who the auction house is, even if you don't pay.