Andy Warhol’s One Dollar Bill (Silver Certificate) selling for £20.9 million.
A significant growth in online transactions including a 28% increase in online bidders so far in 2015 was reported by Sotheby’s today. In what has been a good season for the auction house there has been a 45% increase in the number of lots purchased online and a 35% increase in value spent by online buyers this year.
The Impressionist and Modern Art sales series in London achieved a 40% rise compared to the values of 2014 and Contemporary Art sales are 30% up in value terms. The Impressionist and Modern sale recorded an increase of 20% in geographical reach and 20% of Contemporary Art buyers were new to this category. In the Old Masters sales series there was a doubling in the number of buyers from Asia and an 18% increase in buyers from Russia.
Overall there has been an increase of 30% in new buyers at Sotheby’s this year. There has been a 51% increase in spend by Chinese buyers and a 35% increase in the number of buyers from China.