Sotheby's

It was a pretty short sale. Sotheby’s evening sale of Impressionist and Modern art auction last night offered just 27 lots and took less than 90 minutes to complete.

Sotheby’s will start dedicated sales of Modern and Contemporary African Art in London next year. The decision underlines the growing importance of a sector in which Bonhams have stolen a march in recent years.

Three works by LS Lowry (1887-1976) formerly owned by the late Cilla Black sold for almost £700,000 (including premium) at Sotheby’s yesterday.

Alex Rotter has been appointed as the new chairman of Post War and Contemporary art, Christie’s Americas, having left Sotheby’s after 16 years in March.

The Cellar of William I Koch 'White Glove' auction fetches a record-breaking £14.9m at Sotheby’s New York

In 1996 Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds sang about ‘30 years of hurt’. Sadly for English football fans, it is now ‘50 years of hurt’ since the national team actually won something. Or have even reached a final.

A signed copy of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 promising freedom to all slaves in the rebel states will be offered at an upcoming Sotheby’s sale in New York.

Eric Bijzet has become the latest expert to leave Sotheby’s as he plans to set up on his own as a dealer back home in Amsterdam.

Following the release of Sotheby’s disappointing 2016 first-quarter earnings, the financial press was awash with speculation of a new investor.

Just under $1.2bn changed hands at the top-end of the art market in New York this week as Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips all held their Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary auctions over seven days for the first time. Here is ATG’s pick of individual highlights sold across the week.

Sotheby’s has announced the appointment of two new co-European chairmen as well as the establishment of a new strategy board which is set to drive growth.

An important collection of early chess pieces will be offered as part of Sotheby’s Islamic sale in London on April 20.

The shake-up at Sotheby’s continued last week as more key senior employees – including Henry Wyndham – depart the company.

Sotheby’s are offering 180 lots of English and continental furniture and works of art from the ‘public and private collections’ of Alan Rubin, director of London and Paris dealership Pelham Galleries.

Melanie Clore, Sotheby’s European chairman and co-chairman of Impressionist & Modern art, is leaving at the end of February after 35 years at the auction house.

Sotheby’s London will be showing hundreds of previously unseen jewellery drawings in a one-off exhibition from February 18-March 8, sourced from a privately owned collection of jewellery and silver.

The Contemporary art market survived better than many had expected at the London auction series last week.

In a week of varying results, the Impressionist, Modern and Surrealist Art sales at Christie's and Sotheby's London took £228.8m with premium in total (compared with £381.4m for the equivalent series last year).

Culture minister Ed Vaizey has placed a temporary export bar on a pair of 17th century Italian ebony, ormolu and hardstone inlaid cabinets in the hope that they can be saved for the nation.

Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s saw sales fall in 2015, a sign that the art market may be slowing.