Christie's
An international auction house specializing in art, luxury goods, collectibles, and related private sales and advisory services.
Last updated October 22, 2026
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Overview
Christie's is a British auction house whose principal London premises are on King Street in St James's. James Christie conducted the company's officially recognized first sale on 5 December 1766, although advertisements and evidence of auction-room activity associated with him date from earlier in the 1760s. The business developed from a London sale room into a global marketplace for art, antiques, jewelry, watches, collectibles, decorative arts, classic cars, and other luxury property. The company operates through live auctions, online sales, private treaty transactions, exhibitions, valuations, financing-related services, and specialist advice. Its clients include private collectors, museums, foundations, estates, dealers, corporations, and public institutions. Major collecting categories include Old Masters, Impressionist and modern art, postwar and contemporary art, Asian art, photographs, prints, furniture, clocks, jewelry, watches, wine, handbags, sneakers, and other luxury goods. Christie's also uses thematic and curated sales, rather than relying only on traditional art-historical classifications, to reach newer collectors and broaden participation through digital channels. After James Christie's death, his son James Christie the Younger continued the business. During the twentieth century, Christie's expanded beyond Britain, opening its first United States sale operation in 1977 and building an international network of offices and salerooms. The company was publicly traded for part of that period. It competed closely with Sotheby's, particularly in high-value consignments, guarantees, private transactions, and headline-making auctions. Christie's exceeded Sotheby's sales in 1996 for the first time since 1954, although profitability during the 1990s was weaker than that of its principal rival. Groupe Artémis, the holding company associated with François Pinault, acquired an initial 29.1 percent interest in 1998 and subsequently bought the remainder of the company in a transaction valuing Christie's at approximately $1.2 billion. Christie's has operated as a privately held business since then and generally emphasizes sales totals rather than publishing the detailed profit reporting expected of a listed company. The company has repeatedly handled record-setting works, including Vincent van Gogh's Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers, Picasso's Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O), Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, Andy Warhol's Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, and works from the Paul Allen collection. The 2017 Salvator Mundi sale reached approximately $450.3 million including the buyer's premium, the highest reported auction price for an artwork. In 2022, Christie's reported sales of $8.4 billion in art and luxury goods, described as an auction-house record. Its recent strategy has combined prestigious evening sales with online auctions, regional activity, permanent galleries, private sales, and expansion into adjacent luxury categories. In September 2024, Christie's agreed to acquire American classic-car auction house Gooding & Company, extending its reach further into collectible automobiles.
History
James Christie established the auction business in London in the eighteenth century. Christie's official corporate history identifies 5 December 1766 as its first sale, while historical evidence indicates that Christie had rented auction rooms earlier and that newspaper advertisements for sales associated with him appeared before the official date. The company's earliest surviving catalogue dates from December 1766. Following James Christie's death in 1803, his son James Christie the Younger took over and maintained the business. The auction house became closely associated with the London art market and with the dispersal of important aristocratic and institutional collections. The 1848 sale of the contents of Stowe House, following the bankruptcy of the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, was one of the most prominent British country-house auctions of its era. The 1882 Hamilton Palace collection sale was another major event. Christie's King Street premises in St James's have been its principal London base since 1823. In the twentieth century, Christie's transformed from a predominantly British auctioneer into an international company. It became publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1973 and appointed Jo Floyd as chairman in 1974. Christie's International held its first United States sale in 1977, establishing the foundation for later operations in New York and other American centers. The business expanded through salerooms, galleries, specialist departments, and acquisitions, competing increasingly directly with Sotheby's. The company made several strategic moves in the 1990s. It began guaranteeing minimum prices for selected collections, acquired Spink & Son and later Leger Gallery, and bought Great Estates in North America, renaming it Christie's Great Estates. In 1996, Christie's sales exceeded Sotheby's for the first time since 1954. The company attempted to find a buyer in 1997, but negotiations with an investment consortium did not produce an acceptable offer. In 1998, Groupe Artémis acquired an initial minority stake and then the remainder of the business, taking Christie's private. During the early twenty-first century, Christie's widened its services and geographical reach. It held its first Paris sale in 2002, developed private treaty transactions, brokered important institutional sales, and acquired or operated businesses connected to galleries and specialist markets. The company also responded to changing collecting patterns: by 2012 contemporary art had overtaken Impressionist art as its leading category, while Asian art had become a major source of revenue. Curated, thematic events and treaty sales became more important alongside conventional auctions. Christie's experienced restructuring during the global financial downturn and later sought greater efficiency through online sales and a more concentrated physical footprint. The South Kensington saleroom closed in 2017, while operations in other locations were adjusted. The company opened or maintained major centers in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai, and elsewhere, with offices in numerous countries. Its modern public profile has been shaped by exceptional sales. Christie's has sold paintings, sculptures, jewelry, manuscripts, photographs, cars, and other collectibles at prices that established or reset market records. Notable examples include van Gogh's Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers, Picasso's Les Femmes d'Alger, Modigliani's Nu Couché, da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, Warhol's Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, and the Paul Allen collection. Digital bidding, online-only auctions, private sales, exhibitions, valuation, financing-related services, and specialist advice now complement live auctions. The 2024 agreement to acquire Gooding & Company represented a further move into the classic-car market.
- 2024
Gooding & Company acquisition agreement
[1]Christie's agreed to acquire Gooding & Company, an American classic-car auction house.
- 2022
Paul Allen collection becomes largest art auction
[1]Christie's sale of Paul Allen's collection surpassed $1.5 billion, becoming the largest art auction reported at that time.
- 2017
South Kensington closure and restructuring
[1]Christie's permanently closed its South Kensington saleroom during a restructuring and expanded its online presence.
- 2017
Salvator Mundi record
[1]Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi sold for approximately $450.3 million including the buyer's premium.
- 2010
Modigliani sculpture record
[1]Amedeo Modigliani's Tête sold for $52.6 million, becoming one of the most expensive sculptures sold at auction at that time.
- 2002
First Paris sale
[1]Christie's France held its first auction in Paris.
- 1998
Acquisition by Groupe Artémis
[1]Groupe Artémis acquired a minority stake and subsequently the remainder of Christie's, taking the auction house into private ownership.
- 1996
Sales surpass Sotheby's
[1]Christie's sales exceeded those of Sotheby's for the first time since 1954.
- 1987
Van Gogh auction record
[1]Vincent van Gogh's Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers sold for $39.9 million, then a record price for a painting.
- 1977
First United States sale
[1]Christie's International held its first sale in the United States.
Products and positioning
Christie's positions itself as a global, high-prestige marketplace for exceptional art and luxury property. Its differentiation rests on specialist expertise, international distribution, access to prominent consignments, curated sale formats, private transactions, and the ability to attract museums, major collectors, estates, and high-net-worth buyers.
Art auctions
Fine art auctions
Christie's offers auctions across Old Masters, Impressionist and modern art, postwar and contemporary art, Asian art, photography, prints, sculpture, and related categories. Sales range from regional and online events to highly curated evening auctions featuring museum-quality works and major private collections.
Luxury auctions
Jewelry and watches
The company sells important diamonds, colored gemstones, signed jewelry, historic collections, watches, and other luxury accessories. Geneva and other international centers have hosted landmark jewelry sales, including the Oppenheimer Blue diamond and collections assembled by prominent private owners.
Private treaty services
Private Sales
Christie's arranges negotiated transactions outside the public auction calendar. Private sales can provide confidentiality, tailored marketing, specialist selection, and flexible timing for collectors, estates, institutions, and sellers of high-value property.
Digital auction services
Online auctions
Online-only sales extend Christie's reach beyond scheduled live auctions and allow bidding on art, collectibles, jewelry, watches, handbags, wine, and other property. Digital activity became increasingly important as the company streamlined its physical network and developed broader access for international buyers.
Automotive collectibles · 2024
Classic cars
Christie's entered a closer relationship with the classic-car market through its September 2024 agreement to acquire Gooding & Company, an American specialist auction house known for collectible automobiles.
Controversies
2023
Heidi Horten collection provenance criticism
A jewelry collection belonging to Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten achieved approximately CHF180 million at Christie's, but the sale drew criticism because Horten's fortune was connected to the Nazi-era forced sale of Jewish-owned businesses. Jewish organizations and charities objected to the provenance of the wealth and declined to accept related proceeds; Christie's later cancelled a planned second sale.
2020
Hobby Lobby sues Christie's over Gilgamesh tablet sale
Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit against Christie's alleging fraud and breach of warranty over Christie's sale of an ancient tablet. The lawsuit claims Christie's represented that the consignor was legally entitled to sell the object and knew its provenance was fake; these are allegations, not a court determination.
2019
Tutankhamun bust provenance dispute
Christie's sale of a bust fragment of Tutankhamun for £4.7 million was challenged by Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities, which raised concerns that the object had been looted from a temple and removed from Egypt unlawfully in the 1970s.
2009
Qing dynasty zodiac sculptures controversy
Christie's auction of two imperial bronze zodiac-head sculptures from the Yves Saint Laurent collection prompted objections because the works had been removed from Beijing's Old Summer Palace during the Second Opium War. The controversy concerned cultural property, wartime looting, and the legitimacy of the sale.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Women Artists Sale
Paris · International
Christie's Paris held its first sale dedicated to women artists, featuring works such as Louise Moillon's Nature morte aux raisins et pêches. The sale reflected the broader market effort to give greater visibility to historically underrepresented artists.
Outcome. The sale established a dedicated Paris format for women artists; a complete financial outcome is not stated in the supplied material.
Brand decisions
2024
Gooding & Company acquisition agreementM&ABackground
Christie's had expanded beyond traditional fine art into additional luxury and collectible categories.
Action taken
The company agreed to acquire Gooding & Company, an American classic-car auction house.
Aftermath
The agreement broadened Christie's position in collectible automobiles; completion details are not provided in the supplied material.
2017
Physical-network restructuringStrategyBackground
Christie's reported declining sales at South Kensington and a broader shift toward online auctions and a more concentrated international network.
Action taken
The company closed the South Kensington saleroom, scaled back some operations, and announced workforce reductions affecting approximately 250 employees.
Aftermath
Christie's placed greater emphasis on online sales, curated events, and its principal international salerooms.
1998
Groupe Artémis acquisitionM&ABackground
Christie's sought a change in ownership after an attempted sale process in 1997 failed to produce an acceptable bid.
Action taken
Groupe Artémis first acquired 29.1 percent of Christie's and then purchased the remaining shares.
Aftermath
Christie's became privately owned and ceased to report profits as a listed company, while continuing to publish periodic sales totals.
Transaction valuation. $1.2 billion valuation for the entire company (1998)
1990
Introduction of collection guaranteesStrategyBackground
Christie's had long avoided guaranteeing minimum prices for collections, but competition for important consignments intensified in the late twentieth-century auction market.
Action taken
The company reversed its longstanding policy and guaranteed a minimum price for a collection offered in its May auctions.
Aftermath
Guarantees became part of the competitive economics of high-value auction consignments, although the supplied material does not establish the financial result of this individual decision.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Christie’s and OpenSea announce collaboration[3]
Christie’s announced that it had launched a collaboration with OpenSea for an on-chain auction hosted on OpenSea and curated by Christie’s.
- Unconfirmed
Christie's announces Paris Avant-Garde sale highlights[4]
Christie's announced highlights for its Paris Avant-Garde sale, which it said would present more than 40 lots of 20th-century art during FIAC on 21 October.
Superplastic and Christie’s collaborate on NFT auction[5]
Superplastic and Christie’s collaborated on The Janky Heist NFT release and auction; the two-part drop began on July 9, with an online auction scheduled to run through July 22.
- Unconfirmed
Christie’s announces collaboration with Lady PheOnix for NFT sale[6]
Christie’s announced a collaboration with curator Lady PheOnix to present an online sale of legacy and newly created artwork as unique NFTs, scheduled to be live online from May 25 to June 3.
- Unconfirmed
Christie's announces Classic Week auction series[7]
Christie's announced Classic Week, a series of ten sales to be offered across five online and five live auctions from 24 November to 17 December.
- Unconfirmed
Christie’s partners with Asian Cultural Council for artwork auction[8]
Christie’s partnered with the Asian Cultural Council to present three artworks for auction in the Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale scheduled for July 10, 2020; proceeds will benefit the council.
Hobby Lobby sues Christie’s over Gilgamesh tablet sale[2]
Reported:
Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit against Christie’s alleging fraud and breach of warranty over Christie’s sale of an ancient tablet. The lawsuit claims Christie’s represented that the consignor was legally entitled to sell the object and knew its provenance was fake; these are allegations, not a court determination.
Christie's and Saatchi Gallery collaborate on HANDPICKED online auction[9]
Reported:
Christie's and Saatchi Gallery are collaborating on the HANDPICKED online auction, featuring 100 works by emerging artists from the gallery's collection; bidding is scheduled to run from May 12 through 28.
Christie’s Wine & Spirits Online sale opens for bidding[10]
Christie’s Wine & Spirits Department announced Christie’s Wine & Spirits Online, with bidding open from March 24 to April 7, 2020.
Sources11 sources
- 1Christie'sen.wikipedia.org
- 2Hobby Lobby sues Christie's over Gilgamesh tablet saletheartnewspaper.com
- 3佳士得与 OpenSea 宣布合作artdaily.com
- 4佳士得公布巴黎 Avant-Garde 拍卖亮点artdaily.com
- 5Superplastic与佳士得合作推出NFT拍卖artdaily.com
- 6佳士得宣布与 Lady PheOnix 合作举办 NFT 拍卖artdaily.com
- 7佳士得宣布Classic Week拍卖系列artdaily.com
- 8佳士得与亚洲文化协会合作呈献艺术品拍卖artdaily.com
- 9佳士得与萨奇画廊合作举办 HANDPICKED 网上拍卖thejakartapost.com
- 10佳士得葡萄酒与烈酒网上拍卖开放竞投artdaily.com
- 11Hobby Lobby sues Christie's auction house over sale of illegally imported Gilgamesh Dream Tabletfoxbusiness.com
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