Analysis
Richard Wright in Conversation
PODCAST: The auctioneer explains how Harry Bertoia set a $670,000 auction record.
In collaboration with Art Market Monitor, artnet News presents the next podcast of its series exploring the global art and design market. This week Marion Maneker speaks with Richard Wright, founder and director of the Chicago-based auction houses that bears his name. It specializes in 20th-century design.
Marion Maneker: I was fascinated that you’ve been selling Harry Bertoia. . . . I’m curious, knowing not that much about that market, if you could tell me a bit more about it. It seems to be growing in both value and visibility.
Richard Wright: Bertoia has been a great market for us. We happened to have a piece in our very first auction. It was the first Bertoia item I ever handled. It had been consigned by a friend of mine. It brought a nice price. It was a great time because at that point the market for Bertoia was very low. . . . Since, we have sold over 600 sculptures at auction. We’ve done two standalone Bertoia auctions. We did a standalone Bertoia auction in New York. It was our first exhibition in our New York space. The market has really grown nicely. It built nicely for a decade. It was always rising in value but it didn’t spike. Gradual appreciation can be good for a market.
Listen to the full podcast.
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