Sotheby’s

What can be better than this?
You get to see amazing art that has not been seen before because it has usually been hidden away in private collections for ages. Then for a brief time you can enjoy these wonderful treasures before they go on the auction block and disappear once again into the world of private collectors.
Visits here are also free and you don’t have to contend with the great unwashed who frequent museums like MOMA

Came for a private event where they were showing the works to potential buyers. Usually you can view these works for free on other nights. The show space I saw was on the 10^th floor, and they were serving champagne and hors d’oeuvres. The space, which consisted of 3 rooms, got crowded toward the end. It was pleasant, although there is nothing I can buy at this point in my life. Paintings can run you $ 20 million.
It is a chance to see private art collections when usually you can only see public ones at the museums. I suggest checking out an auction, as I’ve heard it’s quite an experience.

Out of the world! Attended a food tasting event by the art of food that benefit Presbyterian hospital few days ago. The room was filled with exotic people and live music (violinist). Not to mention that the food was well presented by great restaurants that matched every painting on the wall.
My favorite restaurant of the night was IL mulino.
The only drawback was the food stop serving at 9:1opm which is supposed to be 10pm.

This is a fun, free option in NYC if you would like to experience a live auction. We were there on a slow Tuesday and nearly all of the bids came online or by phone, but it was still fun to watch the auctioneer deftly introduce each piece and then handle the bids. This is a decent way to spend 30 minutes or an hour. I should add that virtually everyone at Sotheby’s was very friendly and polite.

Been here twice during my lunch break and both times it was good. Had a panini the first time and a salad the second and both were fine. Its an art gallery café so my expectations weren’t sky high. The view, outdoor seating and overall feel is more of a reason to go than the food but why not do both since your there. They did run out of chicken for my coworkers salad and the cashier gave her some attitude for some reason but overall it’s worth going and checking out some interesting art while your around.

What do you do when you run out of contemporary art to see at major museums and galleries? Head to the Upper East Side and check out Sotheby’s! I’ve been saving this one for a while and am so glad I did. It is an absolute hidden gem with a tremendous body of work to appreciate before they go in for auction.
If you visit the auction house’s website, you will notice that it provides minimal information regarding what is being exhibited at its NY headquarter; it does not even state clearly what time it opens. So mysterious and exclusive!
A friend and I went there on a Saturday. I called to confirm the hours. The lady (of course with a British accent) on the phone had an extremely pleasant voice. Based on the website, there was only information about two small exhibitions, so we only accommodated an hour before its closing time. And boy, were we wrong! This place was huge and I believe all of the six floors were all opened for different exhibitions to the public!
Being crazy art enthusiasts, we felt like little kids going into a new toy store with unlimited supply of gadgets to play with! In the lobby, three huge cast iron Miró sculptures, BOOM! Then we headed to the tenth floor, a spacious and massive gallery of contemporary art comprised of paintings and sculptures by famous or less-​known artists that continued on the third floor, BAM! The second floor gallery displayed their most recent items for auction. The sixth floor had a jewelry collection that was probably reserved for the UES fancy ladies.
The lighting design and space layout were on point, not at all crowded. Visitors were limited. Knowing all this artwork each costing at least in tens of thousands of dollars, we were able to take pictures of everything! Security and staff were also super friendly and helpful. There was an outdoor café/​restaurant on the top floor that looked like a good spot to chill.
Unfortunately, we only had an hour and there was at least an afternoon of goodness to digest.
We know we are definitely coming back, maybe to buy something!
NY never ceases to surprise us!

This is a hidden gem for me all the pieces going to public auctions or private sales going to exhibit rooms and you can go see those there for free. After the auction is over you can even get a nicely printed catalog of all the art for free. You can attend any live auction — by all means free unless you want to grab that paddle and accidentally bid on something as a final bidder. To top it all off — the gent at the reception in the lobby is extremely friendly and will answer all your questions and will tell you what you can see and on what floor (unlike Christie’s — they don’t know anything there and if they do they wont tell you) Escape the crowds and wander in this wonderful buildings, while looking at all the highest priced names of the art world. And don’t forget to have a coffee on the 10^th floor Terrace Café with beautiful city views.

My husband & I are often in the City because we have a timeshare at The Manhattan Club; so we look for different things to do and neighborhoods to explore. I bought a book, «The Best Things to Do in New York» by Caitlin Leffel & Jacob Lehman (awesome book, by the way!) which recommended going to Sotheby’s to visit their exhibits of soon-​to-​be-​auctioned items in their galleries, so we went today. It’s amazing! It’s FREE! We were welcomed by a very gracious reception host, who gave us a great description of what to see in what galleries, and then handed us 2 coupons for free coffees in their café.
It was SO cool to see incredible art that will soon be in the homes of private collectors. On display today were Impressionists and important modern art that will be auctioned in London in early Feb. There was a Miro that had a planned price of $ 15 – 20 MILLION!
There was an exhibit of fine embroidery by 18^th century schoolgirls, really interesting to me as an educator at the CT Historical Society, and we also saw the sword carried by George Washington for the first half of the Revolution, other fascinating swords, and the very first Talmud ever published in printed (not handwritten) form, 16^th century.
By the way, Sotheby’s also has it’s own diamond jewelry boutique, selling it’s own jewelry designs in diamonds coming directly from the mines to their designers. The lowest price item was $ 30K. Wow!!!
We liked the café, too, on the 10^th floor, where we had our complimentary coffee at the end of our visit.

Went her for an art exhibit. Snobby, Artsy wannabe’s.

Forget MOMA or Christie’s (apologies to my former Chelsea Antiques Building colleagues that work there)… I *heart* Sotheby’s.
A friend and I were walking up First Avenue on a lazy Saturday afternoon, and he mentioned that there’s no charge to walk through a preview/​exhibition of items to be auctioned at Sotheby’s. It was one of those impromptu opportunities — and it turned out to be so much fun. We noticed that there were hardly any tourists (the crowd looked pretty distinguished — looked like there were some serious buyers staking their claims). The art showcased was amazing — Picasso, Dufy, Miro, Dali, Chagall. I love the layout of the space, the architecture and the opportunity to see some amazing pieces of art that will likely end up going to the private collection of some wealthy family’s residence.
The café on the 10^th floor is pretty lovely, too. Illy coffee — prices cheaper than Starbucks, nothing too outrageous. There’s even an outdoor terrace.
The best part of an afternoon at Sotheby’s — it’s FREE!

Until recently, my auction experience beyond eBay was limited to watching bags of worthless electronic goods being palmed off to unsuspecting Londoners in Covent Garden, for little more than a quid and tuppence, in the familiar «going-​going-​gone» setting. I was therefore quite excited about going to Sotheby’s for a live auction, with two fellow NYelpers — Ahu S. and Nami Z. Picture the village bumpkin that is me, sandwiched between two well-​attired socialites.
Auctions are a curious mix of theater and game theory, making them equally interesting to casual observers as well as active participants. Whether you are bidding on a Dutch painting in an English auction or an English painting in a Dutch auction, there are some basics that you should master before registering for an all-​powerful paddle that signals both your willingness to buy and your ability to pay. For one thing, bids could come from a variety of sources — absentees, phone callers, or even that poker-​faced guy in Lee dungarees, sitting right next to you, playing with his disheveled hair. You never know. Our auctioneer was English, and mechanically went about showcasing lot after lot, having them knocked down at well above their reserve prices, each time issuing a fair warning before bringing down the gavel in a final blow to the losing bidders. Be prepared to pay a buyer’s premium of as much as 25% over the hammer price. Better still, run the numbers ahead of time, based on the auction estimates from the catalog. And before you leave for the event, pop in whatever it is from your medicine cabinet that would keep your emotions in check, since payment is expected right after the auction ends, and pleading that your check will be in the mail will not pass muster.
When you visit Sotheby’s for an auction, leave some time to check out their public exhibition of other items, typically open a week in advance of their live auction. And feel free to ask the specialists on hand any searching questions you might have. In summary, you have nothing to lose. Go experience the vicarious thrill of a live auction at Sotheby’s. Nothing compares, except perhaps Christie’s.
Nami Z. Srini V. Ahu S.

$ 10,000! ??? $ 11,000!
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In the final tally, one star has to come off for making the auction so accessible to the likes of me, yet keeping the bidding well beyond my wallet’s reach.

Growing up, I used to always love looking through the Sotheby’s and Christie’s catalogs, daydreaming from where the wonderful mystical trinkets came, where they were destined to go… and of the magical buzz of an auction. I always imagined the auctioneer to be an Englishman, mustachio-​ed, with the ends waxed into little curly-​cues, shouting in excitement as the prices climbed (and maybe sometimes spitting on the front row) higher and higher.
Well, I was finally able to realize my fantasy today. I got to watch a Sotheby’s auction. It was very cool! Seeing money fly around and the intricacies of the actual bidding process is all very interesting. Although, some of the glamor is lost when the auctioneer seemingly bids against himself (absentee bids). Plus, he didn’t have a curly mustache :(.
The building itself is a sight to behold — it’s like a very eclectic museum, only all the pieces have price tags on them.
Side note: the bathrooms are really quite charming — try to stop in. (see accompanying photo)