In a 12-month period when the traditional auction market was transformed by digitalisation, many of the leading regional fine art auction houses enjoyed record sales.
The reasons for a remarkable upturn in fortunes were three-fold: the mini art market boom that led to price increases during the pandemic; the positive input of a new generation of buyers turned on by the internet and the focus of the major London houses on the highest-value lots which has led to more consignments going to regional firms.