The Future of Auction Salerooms?
May 11 2020
Picture: Dreweatts
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
In light of the current health crisis the auction house Dreweatts has introduced a new online virtual saleroom service for their upcoming auctions.
In their own words;
The service provides a virtual tour of the galleries at our picturesque Donnington Priory salerooms, allowing you to walk through each room, browsing and interacting with the lots as you go, just as if you were there in person. All from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace and at a time that suits you!
Some museums have been operating such platforms on recently closed exhibitions. They allow visitors to virtually glide around galleries at the click of a mouse.
Will it catch on in the commercial art world? Might such online-only platforms becoming an increasingly permanent feature for auctions? It all depends how buyers will react to not being able to have a chance stand in front of the objects they are buying. For old master paintings it is often only when you're physically stood in front of an artwork that you can make judgements on its condition and quality. Although photography is increasing in quality, digital images can still obscure these all important factors.
In contrast, the recent successful OMP sales at Sotheby's shows that there is confidence in buying pictures online for considerable prices. It will be interesting to see how the July sales fare if strict social distancing is still enforced.
