by Christine Chagaris Boutique shopping on Madison Avenue, museum hopping, brunching at smart eateries. These are all, of course, fun pursuits; however, there is another, more offbeat but no less fun activity that the Upper East Side offers: auctions! You name it, an auction can present an array of items that are bought and sold at a dizzying pace. An excitement at this event is definitely in the air. Two notable Upper East Side auction houses are the world-renowned Sotheby’s and Doyle New York. Auctions at both venues are free and open to the public. Sotheby’s, which has been a New York mainstay for over 50 years, has auctioned everything from baseball cards to the estate collections of such luminaries as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. An auction schedule can be found on Sotheby’s web site, www.sothebys.com. This auction house has a rich history, starting with its beginnings in London in the 1700’s to its current array of offices around the world. Sotheby’s also offers a vast array of seminars that are open to the public. “Almost every Tuesday, we have one hour programs featuring experts in various fields who give lectures,” says Emily Kiernan, Assistant of Public Programs at Sotheby’s Institute, its educational arm. “There’s a reception beforehand, and topics at these seminars can range from “Revival Styles in Interiors” to those dealing with jewelry to modern art,” she says. A schedule can be found on www.sothebysinstitute.com. Each seminar is $35. Sotheby’s also offers group trips to places of interest (from an artistic point of view), such as Charleston, South Carolina.
Sotheby's
Doyle New York, founded in 1963, has dealt the gamut, from fine art, jewelry to furniture. (with a few other goodies thrown in the mix!) It has auctioned items from estates ranging from those of the actors James Cagney and Gloria Swanson to items from such notable New York institutions as the restaurants Maxwell’s Plum and the Russian Tea Room. Doyle holds roughly 30 to 40 auctions a year, and its illustrated auction catalogues are available free of charge online at www.doylenewyork.com. The auction house also hosts various events for the public to take advantage of, according to Doyle New York’s Senior VP of Marketing and Media, Louis Webre. “Once a month, we hold a free seminar which offers helpful hints to people who want to attend auctions,” he says. Webre also says that the auction house also holds complimentary walk-in appraisals every Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Those interested can bring everything from jewelry, vases and photographic items to be appraised. “We have a full team of appraisers, and some people decide to consign their items,” he says.
Doyle New York
So, The bids are in…the next time you’re at a loss for an interesting “something to do” as you are in the midst of the vast array of activities amid the Upper East Side, why not be “sold” on visiting an auction house? |
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