About the author: Agnieszka is an expert in brand strategy and art branding for luxury brands like Ferrari and LVMH. With a background in fine arts and art market management, she fosters synergy between business and art. More about Agnieszka
What makes certain art auctions capture the attention of even those outside the art market? The key lies in the art of storytelling, which draws the viewer in like an exciting novel. An auction is not just about selling; it aims to fascinate and expand its audience.
Browsing through the titles in the catalogues of prestigious auctions feels akin to reading a list of best-selling thrillers and adventure novels. Each auction transcends the traditional bidding process – it's a weaving of narratives where colours, shapes, and emotions blend together to create surprising stories. What secrets lie behind this phenomenon?
The term "curated," borrowed from museums, has been adopted by various creative fields such as fashion design, photoshoots, and sophisticated product presentations, thus creating the trend of curated sales.
This new market phenomenon has come full circle, finding its culmination in auction houses, where sales are carefully designed today. To attract new audiences, auction houses have developed new strategies for selling artworks – and it seems that this new method is working. It refreshes the market image, creates engaging experiences and reaches an entirely new, younger audience.
While traditional auctions present works in generally defined categories, pieces presented in thematic auctions are selected based on much narrower criteria such as colour, taste, the feeling of love, or even cosmic exploration. You may ask, “why colour or other sensory themes”? It’s simply because they convey emotions, symbols, and cultural codes.
Thematic auctions reflect the fundamental philosophy of collecting in a new way – it's not just about owning, but experiencing, immersing oneself in the stories the objects tell. Each work on these auctions is part of a larger narrative aimed at putting the collector in a specific mood, providing aesthetic and emotional experiences.
In a market where acquiring the best items for auction is crucial, this model has obvious advantages: new stories to tell, greater freedom in selecting works for the catalogue, and, most notably: the chance to increase interest in lesser-known artists by placing their works in the right context, alongside renowned names in art.
For instance, Christie's in London organises a sales exhibition titled Dream Big, creating a hybrid experience by combining physical exhibitions with private sales and online auctions. The exhibition explores the idea of monumentality in art, showcasing sculptures by artists such as Marc Quinn, Tony Cragg, and Magdalena Abakanowicz. Additionally, the auction website features a film of Marc Quinn's exhibition at London's Kew Gardens, where the artist discusses his work. Not only does this approach educate the viewers about the pieces, but it also fosters a personal connection with the artworks. In the age of digitization, such strategies attract younger collectors who seek dynamic art experiences.
DREAM BIG, a selling exhibition of monumental sculpture, featuring works by modern and contemporary artists by Christie’s Private Sales, 2024. Photo: press materials © Christie’s
Marc Quinn (b. 1964), Light into Life (The Evolution of Form), 2024. Polished stainless steel. 300 x 330 x 354 cm. Photo: Christies.com
Magdalena Abakanowicz, Walking Figures, executed in 2005, cast iron, in five parts each: 111 3/4 x 53 1/8 x 28 in. (284 x 135 x 71 cm. ) Photo: press materials
Meanwhile, New York's Sotheby's announces Space Exploration, offering a selection of Space Flown and Lunar Surface Flown artefacts, including: a colour photolithograph titled White Spacesuit Portrait of Neil Armstrong, a fragment of Kapton tape from the Columbia command module that went to the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission, or a copy of the Apollo 16 Flight Plan signed by pilot Charles Duke. This auction highlights the blurring of boundaries between different fields – art, science, and history. Similar to traditional art, space artefacts can also be seen as investment opportunities. Their rarity and the emotional value they carry attract collectors.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Apollo 16, April 16 Launch, Change A, Flight Plan. Houston, TX: Manned Spacecraft Center, Flight Planning Branch, Crew Procedures Division, March 27, 1972. 8½ x 11 in. Green card stock covers. Photo source: catalogue of the Space Exploration auction at Sotheby's, Ney York, Jul 2024.
Official NASA Portrait of Commander Neil Armstrong, colour photolithograph, 8 x 10 inches, SIGNED by Commander NEIL ARMSTRONG: "Neil Armstrong." NASA biographical text printed on verso. Photo source: catalogue of the Space Exploration auction at Sotheby's, Ney York, Jul 2024.
FLOWN Apollo 11 Kapton Foil Fragment, approximately 1¼ x 1½ inches. Used in flight, and exposed to the vacuum of space, with attendant wear. Affixed to a Typed Letter Signed from BUZZ ALDRIN. Photo source: catalogue of the Space Exploration auction at Sotheby's, Ney York, Jul 2024.
On the other hand, Warsaw's DESA Unicum has taken up Pantone's challenge and prepared an auction titled Colour of the Year, presenting a collection of paintings, sculptures, textiles, and ceramics unified by the colour of Peach Fuzz. In this case, the diversity of objects is truly impressive. In some works, the dominance of Peach Fuzz is clearly visible, such as in Piotr Uklański's painting with pencil shavings, or in a decorative bottle from the “Barbara” Artistic Glassworks. In others, the theme colour is merely a subtle accent, as seen in Edward Dwurnik's Proszę Bardzo, and sometimes it doesn't appear at all, even though the piece fits visually and thematically within the overall catalogue – like the poster for the film Potop, directed by Andrzej Wajda.
Untitled (Lourdes), Piotr Uklański, 2011. self-adhesive foil, plexiglas, pencil shavings, 53.3 x 69.9 cm; described on the reverse: 'Untitled | (Lourdes) | P.U.' and the installation instruction. Photo: the catalogue of the Peach Fuzz auction at DESA Unicum, June 2024.
Vase, Zbigniew Horbowy, 1970s-1980s, Huta Szkla Artystycznego "Barbara" in Polanica Zdrój, Poland, soda glass, dyed in mass, 33.5 x 10.5 x 10.5 cm. diameter: 1 cm. Photo: the catalogue of the Peach Fuzz auction at DESA Unicum, June 2024.
Prosze bardzo, Edward Dwurnik, print/paper, 65.5 x 79.5 cm; signed and described with a pencil belowe: '11/100 M | E Dwurnik'. Photo: the catalogue of the Peach Fuzz auction at DESA Unicum, June 2024.
Poster of the movie "The Deluge", dir. Andrzej Wajda, Eryk Lipiński, 1973, offset/paper, 81 x 57.5 cm; signed in print p.g.: 'ERYK LIPINSKI-73'. Photo: the catalogue of the Peach Fuzz auction at DESA Unicum, June 2024.
Freely exchanging examples of this year's global auctions, we no longer observe a trend, but a global market standard. In this way, contemporary auctions have become important trendsetters in the art market. They reveal which artists have a significant impact on contemporary art, help understand the market and the artists, and provide strategies for creating cohesive and thematic collections to the more discerning collectors. These are valuable experiences for beginners and seasoned collectors alike.