PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
New York Times, January 9, 2025
As Art Sales Fall, Auction Houses Pivot to Luxury
“The super-wealthy in their 30s, 40s and 50s are spending their money on luxury experiences,” said Doug Woodham, a former Christie’s executive who now advises on art-related finance. “That’s money that isn’t being spent on a Matisse drawing,” he added.
New York Times, November 18, 2024
Will a ‘Trump Bump’ Help the Art Market’s Biggest Week?
“A lot of discretionary consignors were reluctant to sell in November – they wanted to wait until after the election turmoil, or sell before,” Woodham said. “Sales are thinner as a result with more works of uneven quality.”
Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2024
Sotheby’s Gets a $1 Billion Financial Lifeline in Deal With Abu Dhabi
“Collectors wary of Sotheby’s may be more likely to buy or sell there if the house is perceived to be on firmer financial footing, said Doug Woodham, a former president of Sotheby’s chief competitor, Christie’s.”
New York Times, May 19, 2024
5 Takeaways From the Spring Art Auctions
“A lot of people who plowed money into art during the pandemic have big frowns on their faces” in much the same way as in the 1980s, said the art adviser Doug Woodham, referring to an earlier market boom-and-dip for contemporary art. “That up-down cycle — it’s been part of the art market for so long. For those who haven’t experienced that, it always comes as a surprise.”
Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2024
The Art Market Is Down. A Cyberattack at Christie’s May Make Things Worse
“Doug Woodham, managing partner of Art Fiduciary Advisors and a former Christie’s president, said people don’t want to feel the specter of scammers hovering over what’s intended to be an exciting pastime or serious investment: the act of buying art. “It’s supposed to be a pleasurable activity, so anything that creates an impediment to enjoying that experience is problematic because bidders have choices,” Woodham said.”
The Art Newspaper, November 6, 2023
What Makes a Masterpiece? It Depends Who is Selling…
“‘Masterpiece’ is not a defined term. It’s malleable,” says Doug Woodham, a former Christie’s executive turned managing partner of the New York-based firm Art Fiduciary Advisors, as well as the author of the book Art Collecting Today.”
New York Times, May 22, 2023
5 Takeaways From Auction Week
“What happened was a reminder to people about how susceptible prices are to changes in taste,” said Doug Woodham, an art adviser and former Christie’s executive. “And taste changes are the predominant driver of long-term change in prices.”
New York Times, May 16, 2023
Fair Warning: Lots of Passes, but Sotheby’s Modern Sales Still Bring in $427 Million
“Buyers in the postwar and contemporary art market were comfortable borrowing against their assets when they had access to capital at a cheap rate,” said Doug Woodham, an art adviser who was previously an executive at Christie’s, explaining that rising interest rates might triple the margins for a collector. “It is making people feel more hesitant to bid.”
New York Times, May 19, 2022
Spring Auction Sales for Two Blockbuster Weeks Top $2.5 Billion
“Art tends to be a lagging market,” said Doug Woodham, managing partner of Art Fiduciary Advisors, a New York-based firm that provides art-related financial advice. “Speculative capital flooded into the market in the late 1980s, then stocks crashed in 1990,” added Woodham, a former Christie’s executive, recalling the effect of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. “The art market didn’t crash until 1991.”
The Art Newspaper, November 28, 2022
Collectors Recruit New Allies to Help Museums Accept the Treasures They Are Offering
“If you own a major work by a major artist, it is pretty easy to find a home in a museum for it,” says Doug Woodham, a New York-based art adviser who works with collectors seeking to donate some or all of their holdings to museums or other non-profit institutions. “Everything else can be problematic.”