Christie's Nixes On-line Auctions - Brief Article

Art in America, Jan, 2000 by Stephanie Cash, David Ebony

Christie's recently announced that it has decided not to follow in the footsteps of rival Sotheby's in its pursuit of on-line auction business. The announcement quelled widespread speculation that Christie's would emulate Sotheby's joint venture with Amazon.com by collaborating with an established on-line auction site such as eBay.

Edward Dolman, Christie's U.S. managing director, told the press that the decision aims to protect the integrity of the firm's name, which he says would be diluted if Christie's teamed up with a giant on-line retailer. Instead, the company will reorient its Internet strategy to create a more efficient on-line bid process at its regular auctions.