Since its foundation in 1766, Christie's has held the most significant and successful Collection sales. Historic sales include those of Elizabeth Taylor, Yves Saint Laurent, Mrs. Sidney F. Brody and, most recently, Peggy and David Rockefeller.
Christie's leads the market globally, staging over fifteen single-owner sales each year. These sales embrace all fields, tastes and artistic endeavours, and fall into a range of categories:
Iconic Sales - from the jewels of Madame du Barry in 1793 to Coco Chanel, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Joan Rivers, Margaret Thatcher, President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Sting and Trudie Styler and five Royal auctions including the collection of H.R.H. The Princess Margaret.
Tastemaker & Designer Sales - from Cecil Beaton to Hubert de Givenchy, Michael Smith, Alberto Pinto, Jacques Grange, Tony Duquette, JAMB and Robert Kime.
Single-Owner & Private Collection Sales - from the Viennese Rothschilds to Rudolf Nureyev, Robert Holford, Monsieur and Madame Riahi, Jean-François and Marie-Aline Prat, Simon Sainsbury, Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Living with Art, The Spencer Collection and The Wildenstein Collection.
Country House Sales: from the 40-day Stowe sale in 1848 and Hamilton Palace in 1882 to Spencer House and Althorp Attic, Houghton, Hackwood Park, Cowdray Park, Linley Hall House, and Harewood.
Christie’s is the only auction house with a dedicated international team of Specialists supporting these auctions year-round. They bring together a unique combination of skills and experience to ensure that property of both modest and high value achieves results many times above the original estimate and attracts worldwide attention. The staging of these sales is a challenging and complex affair, and must be built on a solid and carefully laid out strategy that often involves months of sale and exhibition planning, marketing campaigns and logistical on-site preparations.
The magic of the objects, the styles of their owners and the romance of times past are intertwined in the sale of a single-owner collection. Sometimes conducted at the collection's location, such auctions evoke the ambiance of the property's original setting and suggest to buyers how pieces can be displayed in their own homes.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for a free and confidential valuation of your collection.