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I've secretly
wanted to go along to an auction for years but have never plucked
up the courage. Mainly, I felt that I wouldn't fit in, not being
super-rich or over 50. Plus there was something about the traditional
saleroom itself that put me off; one look at the pin-stripe suited
staff and the country house panelled walls made me feel out of my
social depth.
Sotheby's saleroom at Olympia is a conscious attempt
by the venerable institution to reach out beyond its normal clientele
and welcome in a new generation of customers. Gone is the 'go away
if you're not posh enough' sign above the front door and in comes
the kind of décor that wouldn't be out of place in any upmarket
high street store. Think an adult IKEA.
Walking out of the lift doors into Sotheby's second
floor space in Olympia, you enter a massive space. It's filled with
light and the walls and carpets are tastefully coloured, like a
modern hotel foyer. There's a café at one end, a seating area for
perusing catalogues, a shop to buy books and, at the far end, there's
display area and the sale-room itself.
To help a beginner like me there are instructive
graphics explaining the auction process printed onto the walls,
which means that you don't need to ask too many idiotic questions.
Browsing through the catalogues from past sales I was introduced
to the sheer range of objects sold at auctions nowadays. Everything
from fine art to toys, 20th century fashion design to punk memorabilia.
You would be hard pressed not to find something here that interested
you.
The Viewing
I had come to look around a display of
items for the 20th Century Applied Art Sale that was on later in
the week, and catalogue in hand I was soon exploring what was on
offer.
There is something wonderful about seeing a collection
of objects just sitting in a room. I felt like I was in a museum
without the distraction of the extraneous packaging surrounding
the objects on show. One space was filled with a disparate collection
of furniture; ornate beds, stylish art-deco wardrobes, cocktail
cabinets, tables and chairs in all styles. There were also rows
of glass cabinets containing all the glass and ceramics which were
in the sale. Being a 20th century sale, some of the items in the
sale were from as late as the 1980's or 90's.
And don't think that it's all priceless stuff because
this isn't the case, 80% of the items sold at Sotheby's Olympia
go for less than £3,000, and many items for as little as £300. Now
I know that's still a lot of money, but in an age when people spend
tens of thousands on new kitchens and hundreds of thousands on suburban
semis, perhaps it's not too exorbitant.
Buying from auction has a number of advantages to
buying similar items in an upmarket shop. For one, whatever you
buy will almost certainly retain and probably accumulate in value,
so if you tire of something you've bought, simply take it back and
Sotheby's will sell it for you again.
Two, you will undoubtedly find something really
unique rather than something everyone else has, and an object which
has a story attached, even if the story is how you bid for it in
auction and succeeded. 'I got it at Sotheby's' surely has more of
a ring to it, than 'I bought it at Heals?' .
The Auction
Taking part in the auction itself couldn't be simpler. You turn
up on the day, register for the sale with the Sotheby's staff in
order to get a 'paddle' with a number printed on it for you to show
the auctioneer if one of your bids is successful.
The sale starts and one by one the objects appear
on the two screens on either side of the podium. The bids start
low and rise as people in the room catch the auctioneer's eye. Sometimes
a bid is made via one of the Sotheby's staff on the telephones to
one side. Eventually after a minute or so, the highest bid is reached,
and the auctioneer brings his hammer down. A note is taken of the
bidder's paddle number and the sale continues.
Many of the items in the sale made less than the
guide price while others made a lot more. So, by my reckoning, if
you're lucky you may pick up a bargain.
I can imagine the excitement of bidding for an
object which you really wanted. I would thoroughly recommend visiting
Sotheby's for anyone with an interest in interesting objects. Even
if you are not planning to buy anything at all, but just want to
ogle what's on offer.
Now I just need to persuade my partner that an art-deco
vase is more of an essential than a new washing machine.
see images of Sotheby's Olympia
Sotheby's also organise regular talks about forthcoming
sales which are free to attend, and regular social evenings and
lectures.
For full details of forthcoming sales and events
visit www.sothebys.com
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