An introduction to art houses

Where will you find that perfect watercolor art for your living room, or the next stone sculpture for the front gate? Will it be Canada, England or even Australia? There is a whole world of auction houses to explore on your next vacation! While there are undoubtedly many options within North America, let's take a look these and more exotic selections.

The appeal of art is universal, but the marketplace is as diverse as painting styles. Auction houses around the world enjoy varying levels of success, with some promising new businesses located in Canada, England and Australia.

Some of the neatest home décor evolves from the wealthy, world traveler's eye for detail, while jet-setting from country to country. They pick up their treasures on vacation and cherish that special memento for life, all the while impressing guests with their art investment.

The clink of wine glasses… a splash of color beneath soft accentuating light… tasteful suits and gowns… million dollar transactions and the meeting of sophistication and wealth. Auction houses facilitate wondrous evenings for art collectors and art sellers to come together and share their passion for fine art auctions. One can certainly find a multitude of locations in the US, but some of the most successful have risen up in Canada, England and Australia.

Started circa 1995 in Vancouver on the West Coast of Canada - far from the wealthy art enthusiast base in Toronto -- Heffel House was taking an obvious gamble. The Canadian market is not reported to be particularly busy, but Heffel House aimed to find the best and rarest Canadian art (like Emily Carr's Eagle Totem priced at $250,000 and a Haida totem pole carved by a Bill Reid).

They also took a smart business detour, by putting their entire collection up online in full color for all to see. Quickly, their business skyrocketed with Vancouver locals, Pennsylvanians and even Torontonians coming in to snag the "undervalued" original art for sale. Owner Robert Heffel told the National Post, "Our goal was, in the first five years, to have a $1-million auction, and in our first auction, we sold over $1-million just like that…. I don't think people realize the power of the internet for this industry." Heffel.com is the only Canadian auction house that puts their entire catalogue of Canadian and international art on their website.

They hold monthly fine art auctions online and find that clients are eager to purchase pieces, while the prices are still relatively low. Whether buyers are looking for figures, watercolor art, oil paintings of animals or landscapes, Emily Carr or John Geoffery Caruthers, Heffel auction house continues to grow at a surprising rate.

Australia has a capricious art marketplace, with auction houses frequently splintering off into smaller operations. The competition of elbow bumping art auctioneers includes: Bonham & Goodman, MossGreen, Joel Fine Art, Deutscher-Menzies, Sotheby's and Deutscher & Hackett. Frontrunners Deutscher and Hackett had sales last year that topped $26 million and ran a $7-million auction recently, selling Brett Whiteley's "View From the Sitting Room Window, Lavender Bay" for $1.5 million and Russell Drysdale's "Red Landscape" for just over $1 million. Art consultant Ian Rogers told Australia's Fairfax Digital / The New Age, "I don't think [the market] is expanding quickly enough to accommodate all of the players."

What can art collectors expect from one of Deutscher & Hackett's massive fine art auctions? They have Tom Roberts, John Brack, Ian Fairweather, Arthur Boyds, Whiteley, Gascoigne and Dale Hickey, to name a few. Also look out for a wider selection of international art. "I am very excited about taking the opportunity of being so close to Asia," says Deutscher himself.

Europe seems like the logical location for some of the world's most profitable auction houses, with 17% of Europe's high net-worth individuals, according to a Merrill Lynch survey. Smattered amid $141 million mansions held by Indian-born tycoons, the $8 million houses that compromise 65% of the central London real estate market is a plethora of highly regarded auction houses.

Christie's, the leader with over $4.6 billion annual profit, has a very bustling London branch. Christie's Europe attracts international buyers with their diverse sales reps who speak everything from Russian and German to Chinese and English, to accommodate the diversity of their clients. Art enthusiasts can find the best selection in art from Dubai, India and the United Arab Emirates, in one of Christie's 600 auctions. They've recently launched a Live, real-time online bidding service which delivers all the sights and sounds of the auction onto people's PC's, bringing the global community together in unprecedented ways.

Where better to find original artwork than wealthy and fashionable London? Unlike the splintering Australian market or the sparse Canadian market, the bustling London market is full of amicable partnerships. Auction houses such as Christie's Europe, leads the way with $4.6 billion in annual sales, innovative online interactive auctions, over 600 shows each year, multiple translators and a huge collection of Indian and Asian art ranging from $200 to over $80 million. For people in search of contemporary art for sale, Andy Warhols are in large supply. Also, Christie's recently topped the marketplace in October's Post War and Contemporary Art Week sales (exceeding $135 million)!

"Christie's dedication to the growth of the Middle East art and collecting market is tangible as we deliver the broadcast selection of rare and museum-quality pieces, as well as international sale highlights for exhibition," says Jussi Pylkannen, the President of Christie's Middle East & Europe auction houses, at his Halloween art sale. This year art collectors can find work by coveted Iranian artist Charles Hossein Zenderoudi, the "Qur'anic Polyptych of Nine Panels" painted by Ahmed Moustafa, or Farhad Moshiri's "One World - Yek Fonia" map laden with Swarovski diamond-shaped crystals on canvas. London itself is home to many affluent people from the Middle East, so the arts resources seems like a natural progression for the region.

Art investment and collecting is as good an excuse for a vacation as any! The best way to find new pieces is to scope them out online and attend an auction or event like the annual Frieze Art Fair in London. Auction houses around the world are enticing buyers looking for a particular niche - whether it's an Andy Warhol, Post War Art, Indian, Aboriginal or Contemporary Art.

One doesn't necessarily have to hop on a plane to find that one special piece of artwork. In fact, it may be more comfortable to browse Heffel.com for selections or participate in one of Christie's online live auctions. Experience all the excitement of the auction houses, without worrying about flying, parking, hotels or hassle.

While the markets may be disparate, they each have something unique to offer. The international giants like Christie's can be enticing, but often expensive, whereas the smaller niches in Canada remain the art collectors' best kept secret. In an undervalued market, many can find amazing Inuit pieces and can buy original art for low prices. Australia auction houses have been trying to include more Aboriginal art for the history lovers.