Christie's

In the wake of record auction prices – the first £1m bottle of whisky and a $500,000 bottle of wine – four auction specialists discuss the lively market for fine and rare wines and whisky. Here, two whisky specialists outline the market trends: Graeme Maxwell of McTear's and Mark Littler, independent antiques and whisky broker.

Designer and decorator Serge Royaux 1924-2016, whose collection of paintings, drawings, furniture and decorative items is being sold by Christie’s Paris rooms on April 17, liked to entertain and to arrange the decor of his table settings to suit individual guests.

The independent salerooms and those operating from the Drouot auction centre in Paris provide an important part of the city's Drawings Week.

A lack of sufficient stellar consignments at the latest Contemporary art sales in London meant the overall total was down on last year.

Conducted by Christie’s Paris (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) in collaboration with Bertrand Meaudre of Paris dealer Librairie Landarchet, a February 20 sale featured the dispersal of the library of Marc Litzler for a premium-inclusive total of €4.4m (£3.82m).

A selection of highlights from auctions being held either as part of or timed to coincide with Asia Week New York.

The latest Impressionist & Modern art auction series in London generated decent competition on a few key lots but the overall total was the lowest for a February series in this category since 2016.

On April 9 Christie’s will be holding a Pre-Columbian sale featuring the 90-lot collection formed by Felix and Heidi Stoll from Basel as well as around 50 pieces from other vendors.

Growth in the Modern and Impressionist art market outpaced that of post-war and contemporary art in 2018, according to the latest global auction data from Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips.

Two examples of a celebrated Declaration of Independence copy hit new highs a month apart.