NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips announced a new partnership with Artsy, which will allow online bidding in Phillips’ live auctions through Artsy’s digital platform. Kicking off with London’s 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale on 28 June 2016, bidders will have the opportunity to participate in the auction in real time, online, from anywhere in the world. Phillips’ auctions of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Design, Editions, Photographs, and Latin American Art will all be made available to Artsy’s audience of collectors across the globe.
Edward Dolman, Phillips Chairman and CEO, said, “In the past year, Phillips has placed immeasurable importance on cultivating our digital services to match collectors’ evolving needs. As our clients become increasingly tech-savvy, it is essential to engage with them with as much ease and efficiency as possible. We are confident that Artsy’s live auction technology will play a key role in extending Phillips’ reach to active collectors on a global scale.”
“Giving Artsy's global collector base the ability to bid in live auctions at leading auction houses is an important step in our mission to make all the world's art accessible to anyone with an internet connection,” notes Sebastian Cwilich, Artsy’s President and COO. “Some of the best works available on the market are at live auctions, and just as Artsy gives our users the ability to discover and collect from thousands of galleries and art fairs, we're excited to partner with leading auction houses to make the thrilling experience of live bidding available to Artsy's global community of collectors.”
Phillips has been committed to strengthening its efforts in digital strategy and, in the past two years, sales through online bidding channels have doubled. While a great deal of online sales are executed through Phillips’ own mobile and online bidding channel, Phillips’ third-party partner channels, which now include Artsy, have played a key role in this successful digital space. Phillips will continue to provide online bidding through its website and iOS app, but this partnership with Artsy will greatly expand upon the company’s global presence.
Phillips’ 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, the first of the company’s auctions to be offered through Artsy, will offer 189 lots, including Damien Hirst’s Beautiful Catequil Negativism Painting for Nick (with Diamonds) (estimate: £120,000-180,000; illustrated on page 1), Marc Quinn’s Endless Column (Micro Cosmos) (estimate: £200,000-300,000), Andreas Gursky’s Bangkok VII (estimate: £150,000-200,000), and Jean Dubuffet’s Idéoplasme I (estimate: £100,000-150,000).
