Sale & Consignment · Art
Sell a work — or a collection — with strategy, not hope
Provenance review comes first
Before a work is offered to anyone, its ownership chain is reviewed: acquisition documents, exhibition history, literature references, and any gaps that a buyer's adviser will find. Problems surfaced early can often be resolved; problems surfaced by the buyer's side become discounts — or dead deals.
Auction or private sale — decided on evidence
The auction houses will tell you auction; the dealers will tell you private. We model both:
- Auction route — realistic estimate range, seller's commission and fees, sale calendar timing, and the cost of a public failure to sell
- Private route — the actual buyer landscape for this work, achievable pricing, timeline, and confidentiality
- Net proceeds comparison — what each route actually puts in your account, after everything
The recommendation comes with reasoning. The decision stays yours.
What does the art sale mandate cover?
A private art sale mandate runs the work from provenance to settlement: a documented chain-of-title review, an independent condition report, sequencing and grouping for collection sales, discreet matching to collectors and institutions, and negotiation managed by the office with your reserve protected. Nothing is publicly listed unless you approve it.
- Provenance review — chain of title examined and documented before any approach
- Condition report — independent assessment, so the work's state is a fact, not a negotiation surprise
- Collection sale support — sequencing, grouping, and channel strategy when selling multiple works
- Discreet buyer matching — collectors, institutions, and advisors approached selectively, under confidentiality
- Negotiation — offers managed by the office, with your reserve protected
- Transaction coordination — contracts, payment, release, insurance, and climate-controlled transport
Selling a whole collection
A collection sold carelessly competes with itself. We sequence: which works anchor the collection's reputation, which sell privately first, which benefit from auction later, and which should wait a season. The goal is the collection's total realization — not the speed of the first transaction.
FAQ
Selling art privately — your questions
How do I sell art privately without going to auction?
A private sale places the work directly with collectors and institutions who want it — without a public listing, buyer's premium, or the risk of a public no-sale that marks the piece. Your ownership stays confidential, and we negotiate on your side, useful when discretion or timing matters.
Should I sell my art at auction or privately?
Auction suits trophy works with broad demand, offering competition but full publicity and a seller's commission; private sale suits most works and protects both your privacy and the work's market. We quantify both routes against real results for that artist before you decide.
How do you value a work of art before sale?
Valuation rests on artist, period, medium, size, condition, and provenance, benchmarked against recent comparable sales — public and private. We give you an evidence-based range, flag anything that affects saleability, and price to sell to the right collector rather than chase a headline.
What does it cost to sell art through an advisor?
Our private art sale fee is 10–15%, success-based and confirmed in writing — materially below the combined buyer's-premium-and-seller's-commission load of a major auction. You keep more of the result, and the sale stays private from first conversation to settlement.
Art
The right buyer already exists. Publicity is optional.
Tell us about the work or the collection. We respond with a confidential assessment: provenance position, realistic value, and the channel strategy we would recommend.