More jewellery, watches, bags and wines than works of art

If several sources underline the well-known difficulties that the art market is going through, they intrigue i data brought to light by ArtTactic. The first-half results of the three leading auction houses in the sector, Christie’s, Sotheby’s e Phillips, they register one 18% loss compared to the same period of 2022, which brings sales back to 2019 levels. The slowdown is in line with the global trend: after the 22% contraction in 2020 and the predictable reaction the following year (+28%), the 2022 finished with a modest +3% which showed, if nothing else, a settlement in progress.