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Auction House Profile

Christie's

International · Founded 1766 · London, United Kingdom

Christie's is an international auction house founded in London in 1766, offering live and online auctions across fine art, decorative arts and luxury collecting categories.

Christie's logo
Christie's auction house
Christie's — auction house profile image.

Fine art sales

13

Specialist sales

14

Founded

1766

Last sync

16 July, 07:45 am

Overview

Christie's is the world's oldest major fine art auction house, founded in London in 1766 by James Christie. Over more than two and a half centuries, it has handled many of the most important works of art ever offered at auction, from Old Master paintings to contemporary masterpieces, repeatedly setting world auction records. Originally established in Pall Mall before moving to King Street, St. James's in 1823, Christie's developed from a London auctioneer into a global market leader with major salerooms across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Today it is recognised for its expertise in fine art, luxury collectibles, private sales and landmark single-owner collections while continuing its long tradition of innovation in the international art market.

Specialties & Departments

Specialties

Modern ArtContemporary ArtPost-War ArtImpressionist ArtOld Master PaintingsAsian ArtChinese ArtIslamic and Indian ArtAfrican and Oceanic ArtPrints and MultiplesPhotographsDesignDecorative ArtsBooks and ManuscriptsJewelleryWatchesWine and SpiritsHandbags and AccessoriesAutomobilesPrivate Sales

Departments

20th and 21st Century ArtPost-War and Contemporary ArtImpressionist and Modern ArtOld Master Paintings19th Century European ArtAmerican ArtAsia Pacific Modern and Contemporary ArtChinese PaintingsChinese Ceramics and Works of ArtJapanese ArtIslamic and Indian ArtAfrican and Oceanic ArtAncient ArtPrints and MultiplesPhotographsDesignEuropean Furniture and Works of ArtBooks and ManuscriptsJewelleryWatchesWine and SpiritsHandbags and AccessoriesPrivate SalesValuationsAdvisory Services

Auction Calendar

GCR continuously monitors public auction calendars published by leading auction houses around the world. Upcoming fine art and collectable sales are presented first, followed by other public auctions conducted by the same institution.

Upcoming Fine Art Auctions

18 Aug 2026

Summer Reverie: Chinese Paintings Online

upcoming · HKD · Hong Kong

23 Oct 2026

Art Moderne

upcoming · EUR · Paris

23 Oct 2026

Art Contemporain - Vente du Jour

upcoming · EUR · Paris

30 Oct 2026

Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art

upcoming · HKD · Hong Kong

04 Nov 2026

Maîtres Anciens : Peintures - Dessins - Sculptures

upcoming · EUR · Paris

05 Nov 2026

Maîtres Anciens : Peintures - Dessins - Sculptures, Online

upcoming · EUR · Paris

13 Nov 2026

Collection Roger Therond, une passion française - Evening sale

upcoming · EUR · Paris

14 Nov 2026

Collection Roger Therond, une passion française - Day sale

upcoming · EUR · Paris

17 Nov 2026

Collection Roger Therond, une passion française - Online sale

upcoming · EUR · Paris

03 Dec 2026

20/21 Century Art - Art Contemporain

upcoming · EUR · Paris

03 Dec 2026

20/21 Century Art - Art Impressionniste et Moderne

upcoming · EUR · Paris

09 Dec 2026

Art d'Asie

upcoming · EUR · Paris

08 Mar 2029

Paul Destribats : une bibliothèque des Avant-gardes. Partie IV : l'Avant-garde russe

upcoming · EUR · Paris

Specialist & Collectable Auctions (14)

Broader specialist, collectable, estate and mixed-category auctions that may include culturally significant material beyond the main fine art departments.

29 July 2026

ONE GOAL: AN AUCTION TO BENEFIT THE FIFA GLOBAL CITIZEN EDUCATION FUND

upcoming · USD · New York

14 Aug 2026

Pebble Beach Auctions

upcoming · USD · California

17 Sept 2026

Marr's Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection

upcoming · GBP · London

22 Sept 2026

Handbags Online

upcoming · USD · New York

23 Sept 2026

Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares Collection - Evening sale

upcoming · EUR · Paris

30 Sept 2026

Collection Jeanne-Marie de Broglie

upcoming · EUR · Paris

01 Oct 2026

Collections

upcoming · EUR · Paris

13 Oct 2026

Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts including Americana

upcoming · USD · New York

22 Oct 2026

Avant-Garde(s) including Thinking Italian

upcoming · EUR · Paris

04 Nov 2026

The Exceptional Sale

upcoming · EUR · Paris

10 Nov 2026

Trunks online

upcoming · EUR · Paris

13 Nov 2026

Handbags Online : the Paris Edit

upcoming · EUR · Paris

24 Nov 2026

Design

upcoming · EUR · Paris

16 Dec 2026

Joaillerie Paris

upcoming · EUR · Paris

Other Public Auctions (6)

GCR is dedicated to the fine art market. While our primary focus is fine art and collectables, we also monitor other public auctions conducted by this auction house to present a complete picture of its public auction programme.

21 July 2026

The Cellar of an Obsessive Collector Part III: Online

upcoming · HKD · Hong Kong

16 Sept 2026

Fine and Rare Wines & Spirits Online: London Edition

upcoming · GBP · London

19 Sept 2026

Les Plus Grands Domaines de Bourgogne en Soutien de l'Abbaye de Cîteaux | Acte II - Direct from Burgundy's Greatest Domaines pour l'Abbaye de Cîteaux | Acte II

upcoming · EUR · Paris

09 Nov 2026

Rare Watches Including Watches for ELA

upcoming · CHF · Geneva

07 Dec 2026

Important Watches

upcoming · USD · New York

11 Dec 2026

Watches Online: The New York Edit

upcoming · USD · New York

Saleroom

Christie's saleroom
Christie's saleroom or auction interior.

Locations

London

United Kingdom

Headquarters and principal saleroom

New York

United States

Principal American saleroom

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Asia-Pacific headquarters

Paris

France

European saleroom

Geneva

Switzerland

International saleroom

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

Middle East hub

Shanghai

China

Mainland China saleroom

Timeline

1766

James Christie holds the company's first recorded auction at Pall Mall, London.

1767

Christie's holds its first auction devoted entirely to paintings.

1778

James Christie negotiates the sale of Sir Robert Walpole's collection to Catherine the Great, one of the earliest landmark international art transactions.

1795

The studio sale of Sir Joshua Reynolds establishes one of the first artist estate auctions.

1823

The firm moves to 8 King Street, St. James's, its London headquarters for more than two centuries.

1859

Thomas J. Woods joins the partnership and the firm adopts the legal name Christie, Manson & Woods.

1958

International expansion begins with the opening of the Rome office.

1973

Christie's becomes a publicly listed company.

1998

The company is acquired by François Pinault through Artémis and returns to private ownership.

2002

Christie's France conducts its inaugural auction in Paris.

2006

Christie's LIVE launches as one of the first real-time online bidding platforms for a major auction house.

2011

The company conducts the first online-only auction by a major international auction house.

2017

Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi sells for US$450.3 million, setting the world auction record for a work of art.

2018

The Rockefeller Collection achieves a record US$832.6 million for a private collection auction.

2021

Beeple's Everydays: The First 5000 Days establishes a landmark for digital art at auction.

2022

The Paul G. Allen Collection becomes the most valuable single-owner art collection ever sold at auction.

2024

Christie's opens its Asia-Pacific headquarters at The Henderson in Hong Kong.

Auction Highlight

Leonardo da Vinci — Salvator Mundi
Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, circa 1500. Oil on walnut panel, 65.5 × 45.1 cm. Sold at Christie's New York on 15 November 2017 for US$450,312,500.

Leonardo da Vinci — Salvator Mundi

Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi set the world auction record for any work of art when Christie's offered it in New York on 15 November 2017. Following a 19-minute bidding contest, the painting sold for US$450,312,500. The result remains one of the defining auction events of the modern era and reflects Christie's reach at the highest level of the international art market.

View the Christie's lot

Market Notes

Sale formats

Live auctionsOnline auctionsPrivate salesSelling exhibitionsSingle-owner collection salesCharity auctionsAppraisals and valuationsArt advisoryArt financing
Founded in 1766, Christie's is the world's oldest major fine art auction house.
James Christie transformed auctioneering into a celebrated social and cultural event through his renowned oratory and relationships with leading artists of his era.
The firm negotiated the landmark sale of Sir Robert Walpole's collection to Catherine the Great in 1778.
Christie's conducted the pioneering studio sale of Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1795.
The company has operated from King Street, St. James's since 1823.
Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi achieved the highest auction price ever paid for a work of art when it sold for US$450.3 million in 2017.
The Paul G. Allen Collection established the record for the most valuable single-owner art collection ever sold at auction.
Christie's pioneered major innovations including real-time online bidding and the first online-only auction by a leading international auction house.
Owned by the Pinault family since 1998, Christie's remains one of the world's leading auction houses for fine art and luxury collectibles.

References

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