The ‘Art World’ of the Auction Houses: The Role of Professional Experts

Brodie Brodie

doi:10.3390/arts8020056

Abstract

Auction sales of unprovenanced, likely stolen, cultural objects continue to generate controversy. But while auction houses can appear to be relatively passive agents in the sales process, providing a platform for bringing together buyers and sellers, in reality their business practices are more complex. With reference to three recent disputed auctions of cultural objects, this paper explores in more detail the ‘art world’ of auction house business practices, exploring in particular the central role of professional experts in supporting auction sales and the legal and ethical implications of their involvement.

Highlights

I look at three cultural objects of disputed ownership that have been offered for sale by auction houses, and ask what can be learned from them about auction house business practices, about how those practices are situated within a larger ‘art world’, and in particular about how that art world embroils and otherwise benefits from the participation of scholarly and other professional experts
In addition to holding auctions, Sotheby’s is actively engaged in attracting buyers by ‘employing professional marketing techniques’ and is employing ‘specialists’ to foster customer confidence by investigating through ‘significant due diligence’ the legitimacy and authenticity of objects offered for sale
An auction can be conceptualized more as a social process than as an event (Geismar 2001), with an auction house actively reaching out to create a community of buyers, sellers and other knowledgeable agents, including and of interest here scholarly and professional experts

Summary

Introduction

I look at three cultural objects of disputed ownership that have been offered for sale by auction houses, and ask what can be learned from them about auction house business practices, about how those practices are situated within a larger ‘art world’, and in particular about how that art world embroils and otherwise benefits from the participation of scholarly and other professional experts To trade outsiders such as myself, auction houses can appear to be to be passive enablers: offering space and expertise for buyers and sellers to come together and agree price at public auction (Brodie n.d.). I explore how scholarly and other professional experts are caught up, unwittingly or not, in the art world of the auction houses, and express some concerns about the material, legal and ethical implications of their involvement

The Stele of Adad-Nerari III

The Orpheus Mosaic

Auction House Specialists

The Prasat Chen Duryodhana

Conclusions