Sustainability looks to be the buzzword of the art market in 2020, as its players begin the very necessary process of addressing wider environmental concerns. Look at Christie’s, who have committed to halve their print production by the end of 2020.
The auction house currently prints more than 700,000 materials per year — mostly catalogues and gallery guides — which puts sending the odd Christmas card into perspective.
The initiative is “not only possible but essential”, says chief executive Guillaume Cerutti. Interestingly, the shift has been driven by a change in client behaviour — Christie’s data show that in 2019 to date, 52 per cent of all lots sold through the auction house worldwide were bought by people who had not received a print catalogue.
The proportion is even higher for buyers from its bricks-and-mortar live auctions: more than 70 per cent.
For more information, please contact Karolina Blasiak at k.blasiak@rosemont-mc.com