THEN
21 years ago, April 1996
Christie’s abandon all tribal art sales in London
The Christie’s tribal art sale in King Street on June 24 will be the last held by the auctioneers in London.
Their decision to halve the number of auctions in this field and conduct them only in New York follows the path taken by Sotheby’s 18 months ago and means that there will now be only one London saleroom, Bonhams, holding auctions devoted entirely to tribal art.
NOW
Christie’s announcement from 21 years ago shows that major shifts in sale direction are not new. Today, New York and Paris are major centres for tribal art auctions.
