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Auction House Profile

Christie's

International · Founded 1766 · London, United Kingdom

Christie's is an international auction house founded in London in 1766, offering live and online auctions across fine art, decorative arts and luxury collecting categories.

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Christie's auction house
Christie's — auction house profile image.

Auction Highlight

Leonardo da Vinci — Salvator Mundi
Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, circa 1500. Oil on walnut panel, 65.5 × 45.1 cm. Sold at Christie's New York on 15 November 2017 for US$450,312,500.

Leonardo da Vinci — Salvator Mundi

Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi set the world auction record for any work of art when Christie's offered it in New York on 15 November 2017. Following a 19-minute bidding contest, the painting sold for US$450,312,500. The result remains one of the defining auction events of the modern era and reflects Christie's reach at the highest level of the international art market.

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Fine art sales

4

Specialist sales

1

Founded

1766

Last sync

05 Sept, 02:43 am

Overview

Christie's is the world's oldest major fine art auction house, founded in London in 1766 by James Christie. Over more than two and a half centuries, it has handled many of the most important works of art ever offered at auction, from Old Master paintings to contemporary masterpieces, repeatedly setting world auction records. Originally established in Pall Mall before moving to King Street, St. James's in 1823, Christie's developed from a London auctioneer into a global market leader with major salerooms across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Today it is recognised for its expertise in fine art, luxury collectibles, private sales and landmark single-owner collections while continuing its long tradition of innovation in the international art market.

Specialties & Departments

Specialties

Modern ArtContemporary ArtPost-War ArtImpressionist ArtOld Master PaintingsAsian ArtChinese ArtIslamic and Indian ArtAfrican and Oceanic ArtPrints and MultiplesPhotographsDesignDecorative ArtsBooks and ManuscriptsJewelleryWatchesWine and SpiritsHandbags and AccessoriesAutomobilesPrivate Sales

Departments

20th and 21st Century ArtPost-War and Contemporary ArtImpressionist and Modern ArtOld Master Paintings19th Century European ArtAmerican ArtAsia Pacific Modern and Contemporary ArtChinese PaintingsChinese Ceramics and Works of ArtJapanese ArtIslamic and Indian ArtAfrican and Oceanic ArtAncient ArtPrints and MultiplesPhotographsDesignEuropean Furniture and Works of ArtBooks and ManuscriptsJewelleryWatchesWine and SpiritsHandbags and AccessoriesPrivate SalesValuationsAdvisory Services

Recent Featured Lot

QI BAISHI (1863-1957)

18 Aug 2026

QI BAISHI (1863-1957)

Estimate: HKD200,000–400,000

Summer Reverie: Chinese Paintings Online · Lot 82

Auction Calendar

asia pacific
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GCR continuously monitors public auction calendars published by leading auction houses around the world. Upcoming fine art and collectable sales are presented first, followed by other public auctions conducted by the same institution.

Upcoming Fine Art Auctions

29 Sept 2026

20th/21st Century Evening Sale

upcoming · HKD · Hong Kong

30 Sept 2026

20th Century Day Sale

upcoming · HKD · Hong Kong

30 Sept 2026

21st Century Day Sale

upcoming · HKD · Hong Kong

30 Oct 2026

Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art

upcoming · HKD · Hong Kong

Specialist & Collectable Auctions (1)

Broader specialist, collectable, estate and mixed-category auctions that may include culturally significant material beyond the main fine art departments.

29 Oct 2026

The Au Bak Ling Collection Volume III

upcoming · HKD · Hong Kong

Recent Market Activity

Recently Closed Sales

Recently closed art auctions from Christie's. When available, GCR displays either the official sale cover or a representative highlighted lot.

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Saleroom

Christie's saleroom
Christie's saleroom or auction interior.

Locations

London

United Kingdom

Headquarters and principal saleroom

New York

United States

Principal American saleroom

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Asia-Pacific headquarters

Paris

France

European saleroom

Geneva

Switzerland

International saleroom

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

Middle East hub

Shanghai

China

Mainland China saleroom

Timeline

1766

James Christie holds the company's first recorded auction at Pall Mall, London.

1767

Christie's holds its first auction devoted entirely to paintings.

1778

James Christie negotiates the sale of Sir Robert Walpole's collection to Catherine the Great, one of the earliest landmark international art transactions.

1795

The studio sale of Sir Joshua Reynolds establishes one of the first artist estate auctions.

1823

The firm moves to 8 King Street, St. James's, its London headquarters for more than two centuries.

1859

Thomas J. Woods joins the partnership and the firm adopts the legal name Christie, Manson & Woods.

1958

International expansion begins with the opening of the Rome office.

1973

Christie's becomes a publicly listed company.

1998

The company is acquired by François Pinault through Artémis and returns to private ownership.

2002

Christie's France conducts its inaugural auction in Paris.

2006

Christie's LIVE launches as one of the first real-time online bidding platforms for a major auction house.

2011

The company conducts the first online-only auction by a major international auction house.

2017

Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi sells for US$450.3 million, setting the world auction record for a work of art.

2018

The Rockefeller Collection achieves a record US$832.6 million for a private collection auction.

2021

Beeple's Everydays: The First 5000 Days establishes a landmark for digital art at auction.

2022

The Paul G. Allen Collection becomes the most valuable single-owner art collection ever sold at auction.

2024

Christie's opens its Asia-Pacific headquarters at The Henderson in Hong Kong.

Market Notes

Sale formats

Live auctionsOnline auctionsPrivate salesSelling exhibitionsSingle-owner collection salesCharity auctionsAppraisals and valuationsArt advisoryArt financing
Founded in 1766, Christie's is the world's oldest major fine art auction house.
James Christie transformed auctioneering into a celebrated social and cultural event through his renowned oratory and relationships with leading artists of his era.
The firm negotiated the landmark sale of Sir Robert Walpole's collection to Catherine the Great in 1778.
Christie's conducted the pioneering studio sale of Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1795.
The company has operated from King Street, St. James's since 1823.
Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi achieved the highest auction price ever paid for a work of art when it sold for US$450.3 million in 2017.
The Paul G. Allen Collection established the record for the most valuable single-owner art collection ever sold at auction.
Christie's pioneered major innovations including real-time online bidding and the first online-only auction by a leading international auction house.
Owned by the Pinault family since 1998, Christie's remains one of the world's leading auction houses for fine art and luxury collectibles.

References

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