International

About 80% of the global art market by value takes place outside the UK. The largest art market in the world is the US with China in third place (after the UK) followed by France, Germany and Switzerland.

Many more nations have a rich art and antiques heritage with active auction, dealer, fair, gallery and museum sectors even if their market size by value is smaller.

Read the top stories and latest art and antiques news from all these countries.

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Champion racehorse gallops into Paris auction in bronze form

04 February 2019

A collection of 18 bronzes of thoroughbred racing horses by major French animalier sculptors is to be offered at Drouot on February 22 by Beaussant-Lefėvre. They include examples by Isadore Bonheur, Pierre-Jules Mène and Emmanuel Fremiet.

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Buyer invests in a very rare work on stock exchanges

04 February 2019

A “legendarily rare first edition” of the first book to describe the workings of a stock exchange sold at a high-estimate $300,000 (£238,095) in the days leading up to Christmas.

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French mantel clock set to chime in Pennsylvania

04 February 2019

Included in Cordier Auctions’ large mixed-discipline sale to be held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on February 9 will be a group of four clocks that once came from the Chicago dealer Lee Benkendorf.

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Auction explores Oz theme

04 February 2019

Lots relating to explorer Matthew Flinders are particularly topical given that his grave has just been re-discovered in a graveyard under Euston station as part of works for the HS2 high-speed railway line.

Christie’s auction gavels

Christie’s raises buyer’s premium to target 'middle market' and top-end

31 January 2019

Christie’s has raised its buyer’s premium, increasing the level at which its 25% threshold applies and adding an extra percentage point to its charges above £3m. The new schedule takes effect from February 1.

Portrait of Muhammad Dervish Khan by Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun

Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun portrait triples the auction record for any female Old Master

31 January 2019

A life-sized portrait by Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) set a record for any female Old Master when it was knocked down at $6.1m (£4.67m) at Sotheby’s New York last night.

Peter Paul Rubens drawing

Dutch royal family Rubens drawing sets $7m auction record

30 January 2019

A sketch by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) that formerly belonged to the Dutch King William II and his wife Anna Pavlovna has set an auction record for a drawing by the artist at Sotheby’s New York.

Neolithic stone axe heads

What can BRAFA fair offer for the entry-level collector?

30 January 2019

Big international art fairs are inevitably a showcase for the exhibitors’ showstoppers. At one level, these key pieces highlight the galleries’ specialities and rare finds that they have been saving up for the occasion.

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‘Best of its type’ Vigo five guineas sets auction record for British coin

28 January 2019

An auction record for a British coin was set in New York when a 1703 Vigo five guineas piece sold at $900,000 (£703,000) – $1.08m (£845,000) including premium. The sale was conducted by Baldwin’s of St James’s as part of The New York Premier Sale in Manhattan on January 13.

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Pick of the week: English tin-glazed earthenware cat jug claws its way to new owner

28 January 2019

The precise function of the series of English tin-glazed earthenware seated cat jugs common to the 1650s-70s is unknown but, as many are dated and initialled, they may have been given as marriage or betrothal gifts.

British and Irish book auctions: January 29-February 9, 2019

28 January 2019

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from January 29-February 9, 2019.

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Teddy bear and doll in one at Pennsylvania sale

28 January 2019

A two-in-one purchase, this Simon and Halbig bisque-headed doll comes with its own teddy bear in a 550-lot online-only auction of toys and past playthings.

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Roman marble statue on offer at Paris auction

28 January 2019

This 3ft 2in (97cm) high Roman marble statue of draped female form with a lyre, representing the Greek muse Euterpe, dates from the 2nd-3rd century AD.

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Ski posters slide into New York sale

28 January 2019

Sales of ski posters have long been a seasonal feature of the auction scene scheduled for those winter months when enthusiasts take to the slopes.

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Continental call to arms

28 January 2019

Two suits of armour that emerged in recent auctions at Continental salerooms.

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5 Questions: Mark Peaker of 3812 Gallery

28 January 2019

Mark Peaker is co-founder and chief executive of Hong Kong’s 3812 Gallery, which specialises in Chinese post-war and contemporary art with a focus on ink. A new branch of the business opened in St James’s, London, last year. The exhibition 'Echoes' runs from January 28-March 9.

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Family art and antiques collection offered at Childress Gaffney auctions in South Carolina

28 January 2019

The sale of a family collection of British and American art and antiques assembled by three successive generations of South Carolina enthusiasts will go under the hammer through Childress Gaffney auctions in Greenville on February 9.

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Auction of a musical collection so large they bought the cottage over the road to house it

25 January 2019

Collecting often leads to a certain obsession, as many enthusiasts with attics filled to burst or garages stuffed with boxes will admit. Take the example of a group now forming 700 lots to be dispersed at an Irish sale.

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Totals remain steady in the UK regions – ATG's review of the auction market for 2018

21 January 2019

Salisbury saleroom Woolley & Wallis regained top spot in the UK regional auction market for 2018, while the investment at Chiswick Auctions has begun to bear fruit. These were just two of the findings in ATG's annual review of the hammer totals and trends at some of the leading salerooms in the UK and Ireland.

The European Union in Brussels

Antiques and antiquities trade fear extra red tape from EU bill on cultural objects

21 January 2019

The European Parliament is to vote on a new law this week that would introduce extra red tape for dealers in antiques and antiquities operating within the European Union.

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