“After New York, we launched new initiatives in terms of selling NFTs in Hong Kong and London, which have been very successful. We are also planning sales in France soon,” says Julien Pradels, Managing Director Christie’s France.  

 

Can you introduce Christie's in a few words? 

Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business. Renowned and trusted for its expert, live and online auctions. As well as its bespoke private sales, Christie’s also offers a full portfolio of global services to its clients, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s has a physical presence in 46 countries, throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific, with its flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. It is also the only international auction house authorized to hold sales in mainland China (Shanghai). Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories at price points ranging from $200 to over $100 million. In recent years, Christie’s has achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction (Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, 2017), for a single collection sale (the Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller, 2018) and for a work by a living artist (Jeff Koons’ Rabbit, 2019).  

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"For Christie's, New York remains the benchmark marketplace for NFTs since the historic sale of Beeple’s The First 5,000 Days and CryptoPunks " 

 

How are you adapting to the impact of NFTs on supply and demand in your industry? 

For Christie's, New York remains the benchmark marketplace for NFTs since the historic sale of Beeple’s The First 5,000 Days and CryptoPunks. Since then, we have launched new initiatives in Hong Kong and London which have met with great success. In Europe, Beatriz Ordovas, one of our specialists, will participate in NFT Day on April 12 in Paris, during the Paris Blockchain Week Summit. We also expect sales of NFTs in France soon. 

 

How do you see the evolution of your sector in the next two years? 

We anticipate a dynamic market around the world, driven by the conjunction of the post-pandemic period, the craze for art, and, particularly in France, a certain post-Brexit effect leading collectors in Continental Europe to consider Paris as a central marketplace for years to come.