Christie's

Christie's is an art and luxury auction house founded in 1766 and described as the world's largest art business. It conducts live and online-only auctions, private sales, and related services including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Live auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, with price points ranging from $500 to over $100 million.

For compliance functions, the relevant footprint is broad. The firm maintains a physical presence in 46 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, with flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. Its activities span several regulated or closely scrutinised areas beyond auctioneering, notably art financing, international real estate, appraisal and private sales to high-net-worth collectors.

Christie's has also moved into digital assets. It accepts cryptocurrency as payment and was the first major auction house to offer an NFT, Beeple's Everydays. Other sale records include Leonardo da Vinci's Salvador Mundi at $450 million in 2017, and the house has sold six of the ten most important single-owner collections in history. The company states that it is dedicated to advancing responsible culture throughout its business and its communities worldwide.