Viennese firm raises UK profile
The Austrian auction house Dorotheum is on a drive to win business in London. “We are connecting with the contemporary community in ways we have never done before,” says Martina Batovic, the auction house’s London representative since January. Batovic joined from Bonhams’ contemporary art department and previously worked as an art advisor, and as a sales director in a contemporary photography gallery. Like many auctioneers, Dorotheum sees opportunity in the middle market. “A growing number of people have been left behind by the big two because they are not seven-figure clients—and we are here to look after them,” Batovic says.
New auction house to open in Qatar
Albahie, a new auction house in Doha, Qatar, opens on 6 March, and will hold sales of European decorative arts, as well as Islamic and Orientalist art, Qatari photography, and Modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art. Corinne Lefebvre, the director of the new house, says it will differ from its sole competitor in the capital—Sotheby’s—by having “sales throughout the year with a range of prices”. Albahie, whose first sale is on 5 April, is owned by the Qatari royal and chief executive of Qatar Media Corporation, Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al-Thani, and Ashraf Abu Issa, the chairman of Abu Issa Holding, a conglomerate.
Bonhams grows its market share by day
Bonhams has seen its share of London’s contemporary art day sales grow to 15%, from 6% in October 2014. Its with-premium sale total of £6.4m made on 11 February compares well to Phillips’ £4.6m from its day sale on 10 February, though—unlike Phillips, Sotheby’s and Christie’s—Bonhams does not host a separate evening sale for top lots. Ralph Taylor, Bonhams’ senior director of Postwar and contemporary art, says, “We decided to focus on artists and movements that have great value in all its definitions, beyond simply financial… If we can create a world record for someone like Adolf Luther or Wols, that’s a great result.”
