Sotheby's

Sotheby’s reported a 12% jump in sales last year to $5.5bn (£4bn). The US-listed auction house said profit, or adjusted net income, improved by 22% from $99.6m to $121.7m in 2017, boosted by an increase in commission and fees.

Works by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) dominated the latest series of Impressionist and Modern art auctions in London with the evening sales at Sotheby’s and Christie’s both led by works by the Spanish artist.

Sotheby’s second annual sale of erotic art last week totalled £3.7m, falling somewhat short of expectations and last year’s results.

Sotheby’s has bought Viyet, a website for interior design, vintage and antique furniture.

More than 130 pieces of Art Deco glass by the famous French manufacturer René Lalique are coming up for auction at Sotheby’s Australia in Sydney next month.

Now billed as ‘Master’ week, as opposed to ‘Old Master’ week, the traditional winter auction series in New York posted a solid performance whatever its title.

Does sex still sell?

A Georgian baby house or dolls’ house has been barred from export in the hope a buyer in the UK can be found.

One of the few large-scale oil paintings by JMW Turner (1775-1851) left in private hands has been barred from export in the hope of finding a buyer in the UK.

Sotheby’s have purchased a New York-based artificial intelligence company that specialises in image recognition and ‘recommendation’ technology.

Tiziano Vecellio, known as Titian, painted ‘Saint Margaret’ with the help of this workshop in around mid-1560s. It depicts Margaret of Antioch, the virgin martyr who escapes from Satan, pictured as a dragon. It is now being offered at Sotheby’s in New York on February 1 with an estimate $2-3m.

Sotheby’s have said they will “vigorously challenge” any attempt by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev to bring a claim against it in the UK.