Bonhams
Encyclopedia
Bonhams is a privately owned British auction house founded in 1793. It is the third largest auctioneer after Sotheby's
and Christie's
, and conducts around 700 auctions per year. It has 700 employees.
The firm has London salerooms in New Bond Street and Knightsbridge
. It operates in the USA as Bonhams & Butterfields and in Australia as Bonhams & Goodmans.
In 1999, as Bonhams did not have a motor car department, it merged with specialist auctioneer Brooks
.
In 2001 Bonhams took over and rebranded the UK operations of auctioneer Phillips — the remains of that company now operates as Phillips de Pury & Company
, mainly in the USA.
In 2002, Bonhams acquired the American auction house Butterfield & Butterfield
, and now operates in the US under the name "Bonhams & Butterfields".
In October 2005, Bonhams gained full independence after buying back a 49.9% stake held by French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH
. It is a privately owned company.
With Christie's
, Bonhams is a shareholder in the London-based Art Loss Register
, a privately-owned database used by law enforcement services worldwide to trace and recover stolen art.
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
and Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
, and conducts around 700 auctions per year. It has 700 employees.
The firm has London salerooms in New Bond Street and Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. It operates in the USA as Bonhams & Butterfields and in Australia as Bonhams & Goodmans.
In 1999, as Bonhams did not have a motor car department, it merged with specialist auctioneer Brooks
Brooks
-Places:Canada*Brooks, AlbertaUnited States*Brooks, Arkansas*Brooks, California*Brooks, Georgia*Brooks, Kentucky*Brooks, Maine*Brooks, Minnesota*Brooks, Oregon*Brooks Township, Michigan...
.
In 2001 Bonhams took over and rebranded the UK operations of auctioneer Phillips — the remains of that company now operates as Phillips de Pury & Company
Phillips de Pury & Company
Phillips de Pury & Company is an auction house and art dealership, with offices in London, New York, Geneva, Berlin, Brussels, Los Angeles, Milan, Munich and Paris. Phillips conducts auctions in New York, London and Geneva in the areas of Contemporary Art, Photography, 20-21st Century Design, Art...
, mainly in the USA.
In 2002, Bonhams acquired the American auction house Butterfield & Butterfield
Butterfield & Butterfield
Butterfield and Butterfield was a large American auction house, founded in 1865 by William Butterfield in San Francisco.It was purchased in 1999 from Bernard Osher by online auctioneer eBay for $260 million....
, and now operates in the US under the name "Bonhams & Butterfields".
In October 2005, Bonhams gained full independence after buying back a 49.9% stake held by French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH, is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France. The company was formed after the 1987 merger of fashion house Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy, a company formed after the 1971 merger...
. It is a privately owned company.
With Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
, Bonhams is a shareholder in the London-based Art Loss Register
Art Loss Register
Art Loss Register is an evolving, computerized international database which captures information about lost and stolen art, antiques and collectables. The range of functions served by ALR has grown as the number of its listed items increased. The database has become potentially useful for...
, a privately-owned database used by law enforcement services worldwide to trace and recover stolen art.