Christie's Establishes Dedicated Pop Culture Division

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Christie's has announced the launch of a new global pop culture division, a move that will see the auction house host multiple auctions annually across categories such as film, television, music, sports memorabilia, science, technology, natural history, fashion, and popular design. This new operation will be led by Josh Benesh, a former Heritage Auctions executive who joined Christie's earlier this year as a consultant. Benesh will serve as the division's global head, based in New York.

The decision follows years of assessing market demand for such items, most notably highlighted by the recent sale of items from the collection of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. Christie's sold 404 lots from Irsay's collection across five auctions this year, generating $105.3 million. The auction house stated this was the largest total ever achieved for a memorabilia collection.

“We've been testing this market,” said Bonnie Brennan, Christie's chief executive, on Wednesday during a discussion with Puck 's Marion Maneker at the publication's Art of Influence conference in New York. She added,“We feel that right now is at a point of maturity that makes sense for us to really commit.”

While Christie's has previously sold celebrity collections, including those of Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Elton John, George Michael, Mark Knopfler, and David Gilmour, this new permanent global department consolidates this business. Competitors have already established similar departments. Sotheby's created a dedicated Science & Popular Culture department in 2021 under Cassandra Hatton. Last year, Ralph De Luca briefly served as vice chairman of pop culture at Sotheby's. Bonhams has also run dedicated entertainment memorabilia sales for years, appointing Helen Hall as director of entertainment memorabilia in 2021. Freeman's currently operates a collectibles department that includes pop culture. Heritage Auctions, where Benesh previously spent five years as chief strategy officer and general counsel, has built a significant business around collectibles.

Brennan clarified during the panel that Christie's does not aim to compete on sheer volume. She stated,“We don't want to be the biggest.” Instead, the house plans to focus on items with significant provenance and cultural importance, leveraging the same storytelling approach it uses for fine art and major single-owner collections. The Irsay collection, which included presidential documents, Jack Kerouac's original typescript for On the Road, and famous guitars, served as an ideal test case. The first four auctions in March generated $94.5 million with a 100 percent sell-through rate by lot, setting 28 auction records. A final sale in July pushed the total past $105 million. Notable items included David Gilmour's“Black Strat,” which sold for $14.5 million and became the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, as well as Jerry Garcia's“Tiger” and Kurt Cobain's Fender Mustang from the“Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video.

Benesh told ARTnews by email that the Irsay sale was“a compelling proof of concept,” but that discussions for a dedicated pop culture business had begun prior to acquiring the collection. Brennan noted the unique atmosphere of the Irsay sale room, recalling buyers“backslapping each other” and hugging after successful bids.“There was no better example of auction creating community than that,” she observed.

Christie's had observed this audience demand previously, such as during the 2019 sale of Gilmour's guitar collection, when intense online bidding caused the auction house's system to crash and delayed the sale. Brennan acknowledged,“There's real demand there, and we have to meet it.” This demand aligns with Christie's broader strategy to attract new collectors who may not see themselves as traditional art buyers. Brennan described engaging younger and new clients in the secondary market as an“existential concern” for the 260-year-old auction house. She said,“If we don't invite people in, if we don't make the next generation feel like Christie's is a place for them, we die.”

Luxury items, such as watches, jewelry, handbags, and wine, have already proven successful in introducing new clients to the institution, with 75 percent of bids in Christie's luxury auctions now coming through its online platforms. Pop culture offers another accessible entry point, with objects whose cultural significance is often immediately recognizable. The ultimate goal is to encourage collectors to explore multiple categories. Benesh stated,“Collectors rarely stick to one category. We see tremendous conversion, but that works both ways. Our art clients are just as enthusiastic about these opportunities.”

We previously reported:

Christie's Hong Kong will hold its 20th- and 21st-century marquee auctions on September 29-30, featuring major works by Basquiat, Kusama, and Zao Wou-Ki.

Source: ARTnews

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