Ahead of his sale at Sotheby's this month, the London art dealer talks about the obsessive pursuit of knowledge and why he is not interested in contemporary art

The coronavirus lockdown is boosting lower level virtual sales, but only a major live auction will kick-start the top end of the art market and revalidate prices

Neumeister in Munich will today host a live auction for a maximum audience of 20

Move prompts fears that works from national museum collections could be sold off too

In the era of social distancing, auctioneers may have to conduct sales to an empty room

The auction house will donate all proceeds from a forthcoming online sale to the New York-based Robin Hood Foundation

Paris-based auction house Piasa hosted online sale of 370 works donated by artists, designers and galleries

Plus, Sean Scully talks about his favourite "lonely work", The Moroccans by Matisse in New York's Museum of Modern Art. Produced in association with Christie's

Christie's is also making salary cuts and has furloughed between 300-400 staff as lockdown closes auction houses and forces sales online

Move is in line with Christie's and Phillips which postponed their sales to late June, but Sotheby's is yet to announce when its auctions will actually happen

Expanded 20th-century art week in US will swallow up London auctions; Sotheby's has yet to make a decision about its New York spring sales

Auction house has closed New York saleroom along with other offices—Sotheby's follows suit while Phillips has postponed all events and sales until mid-May

The firm is also rolling its London June sales into one week for the first time in more than a decade

Our pick of highlights from the next week's auctions and fairs

The Bushfire Relief Auction in Melbourne has been organised by the collectors Sandra Powell and Andrew King and prices start at £200

Auction results this week are expected to be down by almost a quarter signalling a "low tide" in London

Brexit casts a shadow over consignments in London, but young American female painters add some pizazz

Auction house fields a steady contemporary evening sale in London

Former jewellery specialist, who joined the firm in 1988, will be replaced by Bruno Vinciguerra, who will also continue in his role as executive chairman

Our pick of highlights from the next fortnight's fairs and auctions

Impressionist, Modern and Surrealist art auction last night made £106.8m, 35% down on last year—but with three works sold for over £10m

“No fireworks” at last night's Impressionist, Modern and Surrealist art auction that featured three restituted works

Our pick of highlights from this week's fairs and auctions around the world

The artist’s trademark motifs make his work easily recognisable and desirable—but there is more to this Surrealist than apples and bowler hats

He chronicled the African American experience when white male abstraction ruled. Now record prices for his work are frequently reset

Work will be offered without guarantee from the collection of the late Modernist composer Giancinto Scelsi

Christie's also holds its own at an auction of American furniture and folk art

Our pick of the highlights from this week's fairs and auctions

Current bid for re-imagined image of the controversial party leader stands at €45,000 in online auction