Art auctions can be so pretentious, can't they? If you'd rather not deal with the dressing up, the parking, the traveling, the embarrassment of being outbid, or the hype, then art auctions online are your cure-all! It's easy to get started when you know where to look. Obviously, one can bid at auctions on eBay anytime, but live auctions online are a quick and easy method towards owning a new piece of artwork, as an art investment.
To begin bidding in art auctions online, one can try a site like Proxibid.com. Browse auction days, times and specialties. Sign up to bid on items from American glass and Boehm King Tuts to Oriental furniture and antique jewelry. Police and government auctions can be found here, which guarantee great deals on art or collectibles! By clicking on the "info" tab next to each auction listing, you'll see auction locations and phone numbers, what sort of commissions you're paying, what the sales tax is, how the item's shipped, when you can preview the collection and bidding instructions. Proxibid, like eBay or iCollector, gives you easy access to hundreds of rare items right from the comfort of your own home. It's a great service for beginners and professionals alike!
World-renowned auctioneer Christie's (Christies.com/LiveBidding/AboutLiveBidding.asp) is another worthwhile place to find an art auction online. The process is easy. You create an account, download bidding software, register for a particular live auction, enter the virtual salesroom and start bidding! Generally, there are multiple live auctions online every single day and bidders may choose from places like Geneva, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris or Amsterdam! Each auction will list the specialization, for example: look for Impressionist and Modern Art in New York City, sporting art, wildlife, dogs in London or sculptures in Amsterdam. When it comes to software, you'll want to download a day before your scheduled auction, be sure your firewalls are temporarily turned off in your computer's control panel and be sure you have a reliable internet connection. Christie's Live software works best with the Windows OS (or Macs booted up in Windows) and a cable or DSL connection. Working with Christie's is a great way to find and track items, as you can set an online search to notify you when items you're looking for will be appearing in auctions. You can also place absentee bids 24 hours before the sale begins. With businesses in over 43 countries, $3.25 billion in sales within the first six months of 2007, and prices ranging from $200 to $80 million, bidders will have an excellent selection.
Like Christie's, Canadian auctioneer Heffel.com offers live auctions online as well. The easy "browse" menu lets you search auctions by artist (Need an Emily Carr? Paul Peel? Alfred Pellan? No problem!), by subject (such as coastal scene, figure in landscape, abstract, portrait, etc), by category (Canadian or International), and by location (Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver). Since Canadian art is generally undervalued in the marketplace right now, you can find some tremendous deals on masterpieces done by Canadian artists! As the industry grows - which it has every year for the past decade or so - your art investment will be worth more than you paid for it.
Why not find your next treasure at art auctions online? It's a great way for first time bidders to get their feet wet and decide if art collecting will be a lifetime hobby or a passing fancy. Who knows, perhaps you'll be flying to The Louvre in France or The National Gallery in London in the future. Or perhaps you can create your own Museum Of Modern Art in your living room - with walls that will dazzle any guest and perhaps even become long-lasting, high taste gifts for friends and family.
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