It was founded in the beginning of XVIII century. In 1980-ies. this house was the largest in France. After the reform carried out at the insistence of the EU, the owner of the auction house decided to sell his company LVMH In 2003 the company bought a controlling stake Rodari capital of the auction house. Last year, turnover amounted to 69 million euros.
The house organizes about 100 trades a year, and affected all major segments of the art market and kollektsionizma. At the same time, he is an expert in the field of decorative art of XX century and contemporary art.
This auction house has its own space, raspolozzhennoe at: 37 st. Matyuren 75008 Paris. They organized prestigious auction, usually, however, are at the Hotel Drouot.

Contact

Jewelry Art and Russian Art:
Tatiana Barysheva barysheva-t@tajan.com
  33 (0) 1 53 30 30 85

Contact with customers - Abonnement to directories:
Christine Freland freeland-c@tajan.com
  33 (0) 1 53 30 30 80

Evaluation is free of charge.

Christie's holds regular auctions, lots on which, as stated in the auction catalogs, "do not have a reserve price. The auction house hopes that they will attract fans who dream to get some treasure for more than a modest price, that during the tender passion would encourage them to desperate bargaining, and that as a result of final prices soar. Such trades "without reserve price, widely advertised, in particular, at Christie's on the Internet, as well as video system of electronic auction Christie's Live allows customers in real time to participate in the auction from your computer.

On the front page of the catalog sales collections Steinitz, held in New York on 19 November, it was said - in capital letters and red - that all things, the lower score of less than or equal to $ 15,000, or roughly a quarter of the session of lots will be sold without the reserve price. The same information - and also in red letters - was placed under the description of each lot, to which it was applicable. Alas, the results of this strategy were not up to scratch, as 24 of the 30 lots offered without a reserve price, causing serious discontent with the seller, left at a price not exceeding one half the lower estimate. At the second session of the "trilogy Steinitz, organized in Paris on November 14, the title of the auction catalog also inform customers that" all the lots, the lower score of less than or equal to 10,000 euros, will be offered without a reserve price, the same information is repeated the description of lots in this category, ie, more than half the total number is 143 the lot.

Nevertheless, 17 lots without reserve prices were simply withdrawn from the auction, despite the fact that several clients have participated in the bidding for these lots. This caused great discontent buyers who claimed that they were victims of fraud. However, in the catalog, the description of the conditions of tendering, under the heading "Reserve Price" is written: "The sale of lots, the description of which indicated" no reserve price, will be made by individual decision of the auctioneer. "

false advertising?

Hence, for lots of "no reserve price" it is such a reserve price still available. Is it not then an announcement is false advertising? When we asked this question to Francois Kyurielyu, president of Christie's France, he replied: "It is clear that the reference to" without reserve price "may be misleading, since, in spite of it, the object may remain unsold. This situation is due to feature of French law, which obliges the auctioneer not to sell the object "on a bad price." Since the concept of "bad price" law is not clarified, we decided not to sell the item if the price had not reached 50%of the lower estimate, but our auctioneers have the right to sell the items, even if the price of them did not reach half the lower estimate, at its discretion. "
 
Indeed, in French law there is the concept of "bad price". But it is unclear why Christie's equated this concept to half the lower estimate: after this threshold is a reserve price, even if the auction house is silent about it. Since Christie's written promise to auction "without reserve price, then it must comply oblyazatelstva taken by them to buyers. And finally, if the seller finds that he exhibited at the auction items were sold cheaper than they deserve, the auction house to pay him the difference between the lower bound and the selling price of items. List of all of these issues was sent to the Council, which regulates the sale.

In agreement with its vendor to the third session of the Trade Steinitz, held in London on December 6, Christie's did not put things "without reserve price. The result of these trades was quite satisfactory - was sold to no more than 40%of lots.