Industry data

Adams of Dublin were once again top of the Irish rooms posting a €19.4m (£14.6m) hammer turnover for 2007.

THE size of the world art market all but doubled between 2002 and 2006, according to the latest survey commissioned by The European Fine Art Federation.

For the first time, a trio of auction firms pulled clear of the field in Paris in 2007.

THE price of gold hit a 28-year high last week as rises in the oil price and inflation fears drove the gold fix to over $850.

THE value of art and antiques imported to the UK from outside the European Union soared by nearly a half in 2006.

After four consecutive years of falls, the Antiques Collectors’ Club’s annual Antique Furniture Index stabilised in 2006, suggesting a bottoming out of antique furniture prices.

HOTELS, restaurants, insurance, security, shippers and packers, design and print, marketing and promotion. These are just some of the ancillary industries that benefit when the show comes to town.

Sotheby’s have revised employee incentive packages in a move that should help stabilise costs and prevent key staff from being poached by rivals.

MUSEUMS are so strapped for cash when it comes to buying works of art that only one in 50 says adding to their collections is now a top priority.

CONTEMPORARY art has helped the Fine Art Society triple its turnover in the past four years, according to results just released.

eBay have posted a 31 per cent year on year increase in turnover of $1.449bn for the third quarter of 2006.

Lyon and Turnbull have announced a record turnover of almost £9m for their latest year of trading.

Higher charges and a more sophisticated system of auction guarantees have helped Sotheby’s reap record profits for the second quarter of 2006, doubling profits for the first half of the year compared to 2005.

The power of one major collection to transform an auction company’s figures was dramatically shown this month when Christie’s France announced sales figures of €122.8m (including premiums) for the first half of 2006.

Cadogan Tate Fine Art have launched a new weekly transport service from London and Paris to Switzerland to meet the growing demand for discreet fine art transport.

SOTHEBY’S have recorded a 30 per cent rise in first quarter revenues from 2005, with the 2006 total coming in at $96m.

ATG have learnt that the strong prices for precious metals on the commodities market has meant some dealers have started selling silver and gold antiques as scrap.

THE value of UK exports of antiques to Hong Kong almost trebled in 2005 according to the latest Customs figures.

EBAY have posted first quarter net revenues of $1.39bn, just over predictions and 35 per cent up on the first quarter of 2005.

AS ATG went to press, the price of silver appeared to be steadying following the dramatic fall seen late last week.