In 1766, James Christie founded Christie’s Auction House in London, England. Since then, it has grown steadily to become one of the leading auction houses in the world. Today, Christie’s has over 80 categories of auctionable items, though they are primarily known for selling contemporary art, Impressionist art, and jewelry; they conduct about 350 auctions per year. Christie’s most famous auctions include the sale of a guan jar from the Yuan Dynasty, a Stradivarius violin, and Salvator Mundi: a rediscovered Leonardo Da Vici painting which sold for $450,312,500. While Christie’s Auction House began in England, it has since become a global presence. Their Hong Kong branch held its first auction in 1986, and it has become the leading auction house in Asia. Christie’s Hong Kong sells 20th-century contemporary Chinese art, Chinese ceramics, jewelry, watches, and fine wine.
Categories