I'm at the Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sale right now.
No, I'm not clacking away on my laptop in the back row. I'm sitting in my apartment watching the auction on my computer monitor.
Sotheby's and Christie's have started to broadcast their auctions live over the internet. I imagine this feature is mostly for the convenience of remote customers. There isn't much to see, since the unmoving camera is trained on the auctioneer. I wish that Sotheby's had hired a camera man to sweep the audience and train in on the actual bidders. I want to witness on each face the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, or the steely lack thereof.
The auctioneer is standing to the left of a large grey revolving wall that swings around to present each piece of art. Last night at the Evening Sale the art was easier to see; this morning a spot light is positioned badly, producing a glare that wipes out any view of the paintings. Nice frames, though.
I would like to view the Magna Carta aucion.
Posted by: joan roberts | Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 05:59 PM
So you're actually allowed to bid on things from home? Do they have someone just reading the bids out loud at the auction house? If so, why bother heading down there if you can bid on everything from home?
Posted by: Gaming Mouse | Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 08:45 PM
One has always been able to bid on things from home: there's always three or four auction employees taking phone bids. There are many reasons to attend an auction in person: you might want to bid on multiple items, "read" your competitors, or just soak up the vibe!
Posted by: Kristi | Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 10:59 AM