Recent events
Recent events tied to this brand in public sources.
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2026
Flavian heirs challenge settlement linked to Sotheby’s painting sale
Seven descendants of Salomon Flavian approached a Paris court seeking to overturn an agreement that allowed the painting to be sold, arguing that most of the family was not consulted. Sotheby’s disputes the claim that the artwork was looted and has challenged the French court’s jurisdiction; the court’s ruling was expected on November 5, 2026.
2026
Consignor sues Sotheby’s over $32,820 consignment payment
On July 13, 2026, Dr. Philip Weintraub, doing business as Blast from the Past Antiques, filed a lawsuit against Sotheby’s alleging breach of contract, negligence, and gross negligence, claiming the auction house owes him $32,820 for four objects consigned to its January 23 Americana sale in New York City. The suit alleges Sotheby’s remitted the net sale proceeds without obtaining payment instructions and wired the funds to a bank account Weintraub never designated. Sotheby’s filed a motion to dismiss on August 3, calling the complaint an attempt to "double dip," stating the misdirected-wire assertion "is an outright lie," and arguing it has paid Weintraub the same way to the same account since 2021 and that his grievance stems from a separate dispute with Bank of America.
2022
Sotheby’s announces partnership for Saudi digital arts forum
Sotheby’s announced that it would host a three-day digital arts forum at the Diriyah Biennale in Riyadh from February 25–27, in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture Visual Arts Commission.
2021
Sotheby’s announces KUBE collaboration with Fabrizio Moretti
Sotheby’s announced a collaboration with artist Fabrizio Moretti on KUBE, an immersive installation and sculpture scheduled to debut the following month at Sotheby’s Los Angeles flagship gallery in Beverly Hills.
2021
Sotheby’s collaborates with Sostento on NFT charity auction
Sotheby’s announced a collaboration with Sostento to auction the NFT collection Gifted: The 140 Collection via Sotheby’s Metaverse, with all proceeds going to Sostento.
2021
Sotheby's announces auctions in Germany
Sotheby's announced plans to begin staging auctions in Cologne from September, with the Palais Oppenheim serving as its new German headquarters and hosting exhibitions.
2021
Sotheby’s announces cryptocurrency payment option
Sotheby’s announced a new payment option allowing buyers to pay the hammer price for a physical artwork with Bitcoin or Ether, with the arrangement made possible through a collaboration with Coinbase.
2020
Sotheby's announces December cross-category evening sale
Sotheby's announced a new cross-category evening auction in New York, scheduled for 8 December and to be livestreamed globally.
2020
Samsung partners on Design in Mind charity auction
Samsung partnered with Complex and Sotheby’s on the Design in Mind auction, featuring commissioned works by young designers and directing proceeds to nonprofit organizations selected by the designers.
2020
Art Renewal Center announced a virtual exhibition with Sotheby’s
Art Renewal Center announced that it was partnering with Sotheby’s to present its 14th International ARC Salon Exhibition virtually at Sothebys.com from July 13 to July 31, 2020.
2020
Sotheby's announces Hong Kong Contemporary Art Spring 2020 sales
Sotheby's announced its Contemporary Art Spring 2020 sales in Hong Kong, scheduled for 9–10 July 2020, featuring works by Western and Asian artists.
2020
Sotheby’s launches online gallery network
Sotheby’s announced an online gallery network on its website where selected works from participating galleries could be purchased in real time.
2020
Sotheby’s announces Ginny Williams collection sales
Sotheby’s announced plans to offer the late gallerist and collector Ginny Williams’s collection in several sales beginning June 29, subject to the lifting of certain New York restrictions.
2020
Sotheby's announces new hybrid sale format
Sotheby's announced In Confidence: Selected Masterpieces, a new sale format combining private-sale and auction features, with bidding scheduled from May 15 to 23, 2020.
2020
Sotheby's launches Gallery Network
Sotheby's introduced Gallery Network, a buy-now online marketplace for galleries, with individual viewing rooms for its inaugural gallery partners.
2020
Sotheby’s London teams up with Margherita Missoni on Contemporary Curated
Sotheby’s London is teaming up with designer Margherita Maccapani Missoni to select artworks for its online-only Contemporary Curated sale.
2020
Sotheby's announces layoffs and mandatory leave measures
At an online meeting on April 1, Sotheby's CEO Charles Stewart announced that the company was implementing layoffs and mandatory leave measures. The article reported that about 200 employees were expected to be placed on mandatory unpaid leave, citing unnamed sources.
2019
Sotheby's appoints Charles F. Stewart as CEO
Sotheby’s announced Charles F. Stewart’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately; he succeeded Tad Smith.