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House Calls

A report from the auction houses’ earnings calls as they try to steer the press toward a narrative of stability rather than sky-is-falling panic. While not entirely successful, they did provide some reasons for optimism.

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Bonnie Brennan
Brennan’s priority was to convey “confidence in the market’s strength,” which involved citing some encouraging top-line figures: Aside from Christie’s $2.1 billion in first-half sales—including seven of the top 10 lots sold—the house’s global sell-through rate was a strong 88 percent, up from 87 percent last year. Photo: Rob Berry/BFA.com
Marion Maneker
July 16, 2025

Yesterday, in its semiannual call with the global art press, Christie’s announced that it had sold $2.1 billion worth of art in the first six months of 2025—flat from the year before. Heritage, meanwhile, announced $962 million in sales for the first half of the year, continuing its upward trajectory. Each house has its own reason for releasing the numbers: Heritage wants to highlight its growth; Christie’s instituted these regular press calls several years ago to, hopefully, instill greater confidence in the art market.

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