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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Life’s a picnic in Zurich

07 May 2018

Axel Plambeck (b.1936) was CEO of a re-insurance company and in his spare time he collected vintage luggage and picnic sets.

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Ottawa museum buys Canadian VC group

07 May 2018

One of the finest Victoria Cross medals awarded to a Canadian recipient will be staying in Canada thanks to a successf ul fundraising campaign.

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Flintlock muskets to trigger bidding in Cologne

07 May 2018

Numerous works of art in the spring sales at Van Ham in Cologne come from the extensive legacy of Friedrich Wilhelm Waffenschmidt (1925-2017), founder of one of Europe’s leading electronics retailers.

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Art Nouveau centrepiece set to take prominence in Munich

07 May 2018

A late 19th century Art Nouveau centrepiece is one of the highlights at Quittenbaum’s Munich sale on May 15.

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Eyewitness view of Napoleon in Russia 1812 up at auction

07 May 2018

Pride comes before a fall and in the case of Napoleon, Smolensk came before Moscow. On May 18 Ketterer Kunst is selling a 2ft x 2ft 7in (60 x 79cm) scene of Napoleon observing the burning city of Smolensk.

Sotheby's

Sotheby’s reports 19% jump in turnover after private sales and Hong Kong auctions boost

04 May 2018

Auction house Sotheby’s has reported a 70% jump in private sales in the first three months of 2018 to $247m (£182m).

TEFAF NY Spring

Surge in demand for art-secured loans as access to finance for art and antiques dealers remains poor

04 May 2018

Nearly 90% of art and antiques dealers want easier ways to borrow money to fund purchases and nearly a third believe the lack of available lending hampers growth, according to a recent report.

Hobby Lobby

Thousands of artefacts smuggled into the US returned to Iraq

04 May 2018

Nearly 4000 artefacts smuggled into the US for shipment to the arts-and-crafts retailer Hobby Lobby were returned to Iraq this week.

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US book fairs from New York to California

03 May 2018

The 'California International Antiquarian Book Fair' and the 'New York International Antiquarian Book Fair' give dealers the chance to access the US east coast and west coast markets within the first few months of the year.

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Sotheby's to 'vigorously defend' sale of famous Egyptian bronze in court case

01 May 2018

Sotheby’s is involved in a court case surrounding the dating of a bronze sold at auction two years ago.

Mossgreen in Melbourne

BDO report hits out at Mossgreen management

30 April 2018

The administrator BDO’s report into the collapse of Mossgreen has recommended that the Australian auction house’s former management be investigated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) over possible criminal activities.

The French vintage furniture platform Selency was founded by Maxime Brousse and Charlotte Cadé in 2014. Now it is live for UK users.

Online Parisian vintage furniture platform launches in UK

30 April 2018

A French online marketplace for vintage furniture and home decorating items has launched a UK website.

Poster

Rare London Underground poster designed by Man Ray to be auctioned in New York

30 April 2018

A classic, rare 1938 poster for the London Underground designed by the Surrealist artist Man Ray is one of the highlights of a graphic design sale to be held by Swann Galleries on May 3.

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French auctioneers’ showcase kicks off this month

30 April 2018

The last weekend of the month, May 25-27, is given over to the latest staging of the Journées Marteau (Art Auctioneers Days) held by the French auctioneers’ association SYMEV.

Greek horse's head

Ancient Greek horse’s head rears up at Monaco auction

30 April 2018

Survivals of ancient classical sculpture carved from ivory are incredibly rare, so the appearance on the market of this naturalistically carved ancient Greek horse’s head is a notable occasion.

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Decorative arts in focus at auction in Maryland

30 April 2018

Weschlers’ mixed-owner Capital Collections sale in Rockville, Maryland, on May 11 will offer a very wide range of fine and decorative arts.

Golf book

First golf book tees off in the US

30 April 2018

Published in 1895, Wright & Dixon’s Guide to American Golf… was one of the very first books on the game to appear in that country. A copy sold on April 12 in San Francisco for $42,500 (£29,930) was billed as “perhaps the only copy extant”.

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TEFAF leaps into second spring

30 April 2018

New York City hosts another edition as the fair format becomes established in the US

Album

Russian album is crowning glory at US auction

30 April 2018

Printed for circulation only among members of the imperial family and those foreign dignitaries who had participated in the celebrations, an album recording the 1883 coronation in Moscow of Tsar Alexander III and the Empress Marie Feodorovna sold for $30,000 (£21,125) in a US sale.

Book

Complete 17th century work is a great rarity of Judaica

30 April 2018

Bound in recent times as six volumes in elaborately gilt crushed scarlet morocco, a 1614-17 Prague first of a major commentary on the Mishnah by Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann Heller (1579-1654), was a highlight of a recent New York sale of Judaica.

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