33 Auction
33 Auction is a well established auction house in Singapore, having held its first auction back in 2009. They typically hold auctions 3 times per year with a focus on modern & contemporary Asian artworks.
Typically they host an auction preview at MOCA @ Dempsey for 2-3 days prior to the auction itself, which is typically held at a hotel location on Orchard (usually the Grand Hyatt). The preview is an excellent opportunity to view the full selection of works and decide on which works to bid upon and is well back up with a solid paper and online catalog.
The auction events themselves are well organised with food and drink often catered for. Many artist auction records have been broken with 33 Auction, including Indonesia artists Srihadi Soedarsono and Singaporean artist Tay Bak Koi.
Recommended For
Good coverage of Asian artists, but particularly strong with recognised Singaporean artists, Indonesian and Chinese contemporary works. Added advantage that 33 Auction does not include GST on top of hammer price, so buyers pay 22% buyers premium only. Generally makes them a cheaper bet for buyers than other auction houses in the region.
Additional Details
Location: 27A Loewen Road, Dempsey, 248839 | Phone: +65 6747 4555 | Website: 33 Auction
Key Contact Person: David Fu (E: david.fu@33auction.com)
Borobudur
Borobudur, takes its name from a great Borobudur ancient temple in Magelang, Central Java, and was established in 2004 in Jakarta before commencing auctions in Singapore from 2005. Given their history and Indonesian roots Borobudur is particularly strong on Indonesian masters.
They typically run 2 auctions per year in Singapore with a pre-event preview usually held at the Sheraton hotel.
Recommended For
Primarily for Indonesian artists, but they have solid coverage of local Singaporean artists and others from across Asia.
Buyers premium is currently set @22% with GST applied on top.
Additional Details
Location: 10 Uni Crescent #05-39, Lobby C Ubi Techpark, 408564 | Phone: +65 6745 6066 | Website: Borobudur Auction
Contact Email: borobudur@singnet.com.sg
Masterpiece Auction House
Masterpiece Auction house was founded in 2003, holding its first auction in Jakarta, Indonesia. They typically hold 2 auctions per year in Singapore with a focus on Southeast Asian artworks, and a particularly strength towards Indonesian artists given their proximity to the Indonesian market.
We generally find that their promotion and exposure is not as strong as 33 Auction or Borobudur in Singapore.
Recommended For
Heavy focus towards Indonesian artists within their auctions, but can pick up works from artists in other Asian countries such as Singapore, China, Malaysia, Japan etc
Buyers premium is currently set @22% with GST applied on top.
Additional Details
Location: 1 Kaki Bukit Road 1, Singapore, 415934 | Phone: +65 6747 8151 | Website: Masterpiece Auction House
Contact Email: info@masterpieceauction.com.sg
Lasarati
Lasarati Auctioneers is another auction house that originally started in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2000 before expanding into Singapore in 2003 and typically hold 1 auction per year in Singapore. They further expanded operations into Hong Kong in 2009.
Singapore events are usually conducted at the Marriott Hotel.
Recommended For
As with many of the other Indonesian based auction houses they have a strong background in Indonesian artworks, but also provide good coverage of other artists from across Southeast Asia, China and Japan.
Buyers premium is set @22% with GST applied on top.
Additional Details
Location: 15 Scotts Road, #09-03 Thong Teck Building, Singapore, 228218 | Phone: +65 6737 2130 | Website: Lasarati Auction
Key Contact: Christin E. Metanfanuan (E: info@larasati.com)
Christies
One of the worlds biggest auction houses, Christie’s doesn’t hold actual auction events in Singapore at present. They do however sometimes host auction preview events here, prior to then running the auction event itself in Hong Kong.
Their focus on the top end of the market means the previews themselves can be a great way to view some excellent quality artworks from some of the best artists across Asia, whilst the auction itself is a good option for sellers and buyers looking to acquire masterpieces.
Recommended For
Solid coverage across many countries, but Hong Kong events typically focus on Asian artists. One of 2 go-to auctioneers for true masterpiece quality work.
Additional Details
Singapore contact: Tang Wen Li (E: wtang@christies.com) | Phone: +65 6235 3828 | Website: Christies
Sothebys
Like Christies, Sotheby’s doesn’t host actual auction events in Singapore, they all happen in Hong Kong. Having been operating in Singapore since 1985 however, they do often host preview events here and also have local representatives. The preview events are another great opportunity to see museum quality pieces under one roof.
Recommended For
Solid coverage across many countries, but Hong Kong events typically focus on Asian artists. One of 2 go-to auctioneers for true masterpiece quality work.
Additional Details
Singapore contact: Kim Chuan Mok (E: kimchuan.mok@sothebys.com) | Phone: +65 6732 8239 | Website: Sothebys
Thanks for taking the time to read our post on art auction houses in Singapore. We’re always curious on finding out what our readers made of the content, so please allow me to ask some follow up questions if anyone has time to add to the discussion:
(1) Has anyone previously attended or used these auctioneers in the past? If so what was your opinion on the quality of their service?
(2) Have we missed any good art auctioneers in Singapore that you think are worthy of a mention?
Thanks,
Ben
I find it really helpful. I have many art pieces need to be auction away. Thank you.
I also find it good if Singapore have a place for the valuation of the antiques and it help peoples who want to sell thier antiques for valuation and for the auctioneers. I have quite few of the antiques and also would like to know whether the antiques is the original and have value on it. Thank you