The inaugural sale of pictures consigned by leading members of the Old Master trade will be titled The Dealer’s Eye and will run alongside more traditional mixed-owner sales held in New York at the end of January.
The idea of a purely dealer-led sale was first suggested to George Wachter, head of the New York Old Master department, by a member of the trade around a year ago.
While any initiative that blurs the traditional boundaries that existed between auctioneers and dealers will have its detractors within the trade, several key players have already signed up.
Attracted by the prospect of Sotheby’s client list and the potency of the New York market, European dealers Richard Green, Johnny van Haeften, Galerie Sanct Lucas, Vienna and Robert Noortman are among those expected to consign pictures to the sale. Widening the market of a specialised field is the key attraction in this unprecedented auction-dealer tie-up.
“If dealers and auction experts can get together and educate the new collector, as we all have an opportunity to do in this auction, we should be able to demonstrate how interesting and reasonable buying in the field of Old Master paintings can be,” commented Jonathan Green of the Richard Green Gallery.
All gallery-condition paintings will be assessed for authenticity by an independent vetting committee made up of leading American museum curators, although Mr Wachter stresses that realistic pricing – the traditional obstacle to selling dealer’s stock at auction – is the key variable. “I will try to get high quality at fair prices and if I can accomplish that then nothing feels tired.”
The catalogue will make clear which dealers have consigned which picture and will list contact details for each of the contributing dealers.
“I have always felt that were are one family, auctioneers, dealers and the museum community,” Mr Wachter told ATG. “There will be people out there who won’t want us to succeed but it is in the interest of the trade for a sale like this to work.”
The Dealer’s Eye sale will tour Amsterdam, Paris and London before the auction on Friday, January 27.
Sotheby’s choose The Dealer’s Eye Trade consigners invited for NY sale
SOTHEBY’s are to launch a sale in January that will openly rely entirely upon dealers’ stock for its content.
