The legendary photographer Mario Testino shook up Sotheby’s London, as thousands attended an exhibition and auction of his personal collection that was organized to benefit the Museo MATE in Lima, Peru. Parts I & II of the Shake It Up series totaled £8.7 million ($11.6 million), establishing 11 artist auction records in the process.

OCTOBER
The strong results of our autumn auction series in Hong Kong helped raise Sotheby’s annual auction total in the region to HK$6.64 billion (US$850 million) – our highest total since 2014, and leading all international houses in Asia this year. The five days of curated sales were highlighted by a new world auction record for Chinese Ceramics, achieved by A Highly Important and Extremely Rare Ru Guanyao Brush Washer, Northern Song Dynasty that sold for HK$294.3 million (US$37.7 million).

In London, we presented an unparalleled personal portrait of celebrated artist Howard Hodgkin and his private inspirations, exhibiting his collection beyond the closed doors of his Bloomsbury home. The sale brought £5.2 million ($6.8 million), led by the work of his close friend and one of India’s greatest 20th-century artists, Bhupen Khakhar, whose De-Luxe Tailors soared to a record-breaking £1.1 million ($1.5 million).

NOVEMBER
Our marquee auctions of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary Art achieved $724 million, representing a 31% increase over the same series in November 2016. Five of the top ten Impressionist & Modern works sold to Asian private collectors, while Francis Bacon’s triptych portrait Three Studies of George Dyer led the week with its $38.6 million result.

This November, we hosted our first auction at Sotheby’s Dubai. Offering an array of paintings, sculpture, photography, design, books & manuscripts, jewelry and textiles, Boundless: Dubai provided invaluable new perspectives on art from and inspired by the Middle East, achieving $3.6 million.

Collectors were captivated by a look into the private world of celebrated French interior designer Jacques Grange. Our dedicated sale in Paris spanned two days, comprising an unforgettably-eclectic mix of objects, including iconic works by François-Xavier Lalanne, Alexandre Noll, Damien Hirst and René Magritte. With remarkable results across every category, the sale achieved an incredible €28.4 million ($33.3 million) – the highest ever total for a single-owner sale at Sotheby’s Paris.

Sotheby’s celebrated ten years in Moscow with a series of dedicated Russian art auctions and exhibitions. Notably, the best portrait by Nikolai Fechin ever to come to auction sold for £3.7 million ($4.9 million).

DECEMBER
Just in time for holiday gifting, Sotheby’s A Life of Luxury sales series saw 1,640 lots of jewelry, watches, cars, wine and fashion achieve $117.3 million across six auctions. The sales were led by an Exquisite 5.69-Carat Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond Ring that brought $15.1 million, while a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione roared to an $18 million result.

Our annual sales of Old Master Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture in London were highlighted by one of Joseph Wright of Derby’s most important candlelit pictures, and one of the last of his major works remaining in private hands. An Academy by Lamplight sold for £7.3 million ($9.7 million), marking a new world auction record for the renowned British artist.