Sotheby’s reports record breaking year

Sotheby’s has reported record growth and record results for 2013. Auction sales grew 19% to reach $5.2 billion, making it the fastest growing global art auctioneer of the year.

“2013 has been a remarkable year for the auction market and for Sotheby’s,” commented Bill

Ruprecht, Sotheby’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “With auction sales that grew 19%, our

performance over the past year has reinforced Sotheby’s leadership position in key areas of the

market, with sales of Asian Art, Jewellery and Impressionist & Modern Art, among others, outpacing

the market by significant margins.

“We set new benchmarks in every conceivable category: the highest price ever achieved for a diamond or jewel, for a carpet and an Islamic work of art, for a printed book, for Chinese sculpture, for the work of a living Chinese artist, and for myriad individual artists including Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, Zao Wou-ki, El Greco and Georges Braque, to name a few.”

He continued: “These results illustrate the expertise of Sotheby’s – we source the world’s greatest treasures, price them well, and understand the marketplace, delivering the greatest value to our clients. That is how we define success.”

Highlights of 2013 include 50% growth in sales of Asian art and 21% growth in sales of Impressionist and modern art. Meanwhile, Sotheby’s sales of jewellery grew by 32%.

The auction house’s sales of contemporary art included November’s Sotheby’s Evening Auction of Contemporary Art, which brought in $380.6 million, the highest total of any sale in the company’s history.

Sotheby’s top lots of 2013 include Andy Warhol’s Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) which sold for $105.5 million – an auction record for the artist; The Pink Dream, an internally flawless 59.60 carat fancy vivid pink diamond, which sold for $83.2 million  – an auction record for any diamond; and Norman Rockwell’s Saying Grace, which fetched $46 million – an auction record for the artist.