Bonhams buys Bukowskis
That the auction house Bonhams has bought Bukowskis was announced this week. For how much we are not told. Bukowskis was founded in 1870 and is regarded as the Nordic region's leading auction house. During the past 15 years with the Lundin family as owners (they bought it from the Gustavsson family), Bukowskis has, with the help of digital services, been able to strengthen its position and international presence. They have over a million unique visitors a month and sold 11 of the 15 most expensive items on the Swedish market, including the record sale of Anders Zorn's ”Söndagsmorgon”. Something that became the highest paid Swedish artwork ever sold at auction. Eqotime’s Britta Rossander tells us more.
Text: Britta Rossander
That the auction house Bonhams bought Bukowskis was announced this week. For how much we are not told. Bukowskis was founded in 1870 and is regarded as the Nordic region's leading auction house. During the past 15 years with the Lundin family as owners (they bought it from the Gustavsson family), Bukowskis has, with the help of digital services, been able to strengthen its position and international presence. They have over a million unique visitors a month. And sold 11 of the 15 most expensive items on the Swedish market, including the record sale of Anders Zorn's "Söndagsmorgon". Something that became the best paid Swedish artwork ever sold at auction. Eqotime's Britta Rossander tells more.
That Bonhams has bought Bukowskis increases their European presence. They have, after all, recently acquired a place in Paris. At the best address, too. 4 Rue de la Paix, between Vacheron Constantin and Tiffany's and right across from IWC. The street begins at the world's most hyped watch and jewellery square, Place Vêndome, with the hotel jewel Ritz placed in the middle at address no. 15.
Bonhams, who are well known for their car auctions, has since September 2018 been owned by the British company Epiris. And many heavyweight names wanted to comment when the sale became official:
– Bukowskis is a historic brand. Bonhams' acquisition of such a successful auction house is an important part of our strategy for developing Bonhams into becoming a digital leader and a global player with presence in the USA, Europe and Asia. We are delighted to welcome Louise Arén (Bukowskis' current CEO) and the whole team to the Bonhams family, says Bruno Vinciguerra, CEO Bonhams.
– With Bonhams' global reach we can build further on our position as the leading auction house in the Nordics. An exciting journey has just begun, said Louise Arén when the news was released.
Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, Chairman of the Board Bonhams believes that the acquisition of Bukowskis is a significant step in their vision. Bukowskis' impressive history and digital successes make them an ideal partner and part of the family.
– We are very pleased to welcome Bukowskis to Bonhams. The business has built up an incredibly strong position in the Nordics, we see enormous opportunities for both Bukowskis and Bonhams in this union: greater international reach for the former, greater European scale and presence for the latter. We look forward to developing Bukowskis further together with Louise and her team, said Owen Wilson, Partner Epiris
Alex Fortescue, Managing Partner Epiris said:
– Since 2018 we have worked to drive the transformation of Bonhams into a global, digitally well-functioning auction business through investments in people, technology. The acquisition of Bukowskis is a significant step in this transformation.
Big words and one can hope that they can fill them with good content. I have asked the press department and Carl at the watch department whether it will be the case that the Swedish intake of watches with international demand will be placed on the market where they will hopefully be sold for the highest amount – like Sotheby's does, for example. Still no answer – they probably don't know how it will turn out, we'll have to wait and see. We'll probably find out in good time before Important Timepieces, which is hammered April 26.
About Bonhams:
The auction house was founded in 1793 (that makes it 77 years older than Bukowskis). Today it is one of the world's largest and most well-known auction houses offering art and antiques, cars and jewellery. The main auction houses are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney (one wonders if Stockholm will be added to this list). With a network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advisory and valuation services within 60 specialist areas.
Bonhams and watches:
"Bonhams Watches Auctions offers vintage and modern watches from Patek Philippe, Rolex, Omega, Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Cartier, George Daniels, Heuer and more. We hold 13 auctions a year in London, New York, Hong Kong, Paris and online. We are the market leader in the UK for watches at auction and set record prices for them. We sold a 1999 Millennium wristwatch by George Daniels which became the highest paid British-made wristwatch ever sold. Bonhams' watch department has specialists and representatives in London, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and Los Angeles. With offices and representatives in almost 50 locations, Bonhams gives buyers and sellers access to a global network of collectors, to achieve the highest possible price and customer satisfaction."
