NEW YORK, LONDON.- Christie’s International today launches Christie’s LIVE®, a real-time, multi-media auction experience from the world’s leading auction house. Signaling a new era for the industry as well as its current and future clients, Christie’s LIVE® means that collectors and enthusiasts around the world will be able to enjoy the look, sound and feel of Christie’s auctions from their personal computer. Offering the ability to remotely bid live from the comfort of home, Christie’s LIVE® combines real-time video and audio with clear bidding instructions to allow users to ‘virtually’ attend auctions at Christie’s salerooms across the globe.

Edward Dolman, Christie’s Chief Executive Officer, says: “Christie’s LIVE® is the latest step in our innovative strategy to grow our business and the auction market internationally. This builds on our tradition of providing the best customer service in the truly global marketplace for arts, antiques and collectibles. Christie’s LIVE® will allow us to bring to an unlimited online audience the finest property, and those bidders will be able to participate in real-time in the excitement of the live sale room.

"This is an exciting new feature for Christie’s ever expanding global client base. With Christie’s LIVE® we will offer a new, convenient format of bidding to our existing clients, as well as helping encourage the next generation of customers. Christie’s is pleased to be able to introduce on an international basis another innovation as we execute our successful growth strategy."

During its six-month introductory phase, Christie’s LIVE® will be rolled out to selected sales in New York and London, including the historic October sales of Star Trek memorabilia.

If the client wishes to bid on items with Christie’s LIVE®, he or she needs to register at www.christies.com for the sale no later than two business days before the sale. A unique paddle number for that sale will be issued. Registration is required for each sale and participants must download free, customized software from www.christies.com to facilitate the online bidding process. This new software has been developed by Christie’s preferred online bidding solutions provider Auction Management Solutions (AMS) of Tampa, Florida.