NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s announced details today of its marquee summer sales around the world, via a live, digital, global press conference.

Charles Stewart, Sotheby’s CEO, commented: “We look forward to convening the art world in June for what will be the most significant event staged in the market in several months. We have devised an innovative plan that not only provides our clients and employees with the safest possible environment, but that also takes advantage of our global presence and investments in technology for a one-of-a-kind auction experience.”

Mr. Stewart continued: “Our recent sales have shown the market to be remarkably resilient and we are enthusiastic about our summer season, particularly given the quality of the offerings we have across New York, London, Paris, Milan, Geneva and Hong Kong.”

With live auctions halted around the world, Sotheby’s shifted focus to present more - and more ambitious - online auctions, ranging from jewelry to Old Masters to Contemporary Art and design. Building on the success of these and of a raft of other new digital initiatives, Sotheby’s has grasped the opportunity to marry the best of the established live auction format with the specific needs of today and its vision for the future.

Details unveiled during today’s press conference include:

• The live evening auctions of Contemporary Art and Modern Impressionist & Modern Art in New York will take place the evening of Tuesday, 29 June. The evening opens with a dedicated auction of works from The Ginny Williams Collection, beginning at 6:30pm EDT.

• The New York evening sales will be conducted remotely by Sotheby’s Chairman and auctioneer Oliver Barker in London, and will be live-streamed to the world. Viewers will be able to follow the auction in high-definition.

• Bidders will be able to take part either via the phones, or via Sotheby’s state-of-the-art proprietary bidding platform. Registration for the sales will now be available both through Sotheby’s website and through the Sotheby’s app, via which absentee bids can also be placed.

• The auctioneer will take phone bids from Sotheby’s specialists on phone banks around the globe – in New York, Hong Kong and London – via zero-latency video streams, broadcast to giant screens in an impressive ‘control center’ studio setup.

• A number of key works will hang behind the banks of telephone bidders, enhanced with striking and informative on-screen visuals for each of the works offered. The result will be a dynamic, truly global experience that will usher in an exciting new era of marquee auctions at Sotheby’s that marry the best of the established live auction format with the latest technology, and the modifications for safety that our current circumstances require.

• The works on offer in Sotheby’s New York auctions will be exhibited in the York Avenue galleries in advance of the sales, with viewings available by appointment beginning 8 June.

• Sotheby's announced the creation of a new cross-category live evening sale, set to take place in London this July. This auction will bring together a best-in-class selection of works spanning Old Masters, Impressionist & Modern, Modern British and Contemporary Art. In uniting these categories, the format approaches the outlook of a new generation of collectors who collect without boundaries across diverse categories, countries and centuries.

• Sale dates and highlights were unveiled the our marquee summer sales in Hong Kong, Geneva, Paris and Milan.