Christie's: A Wealth of Art at your Fingertips
Â
One of the best ways to see incredible art in New York is at one of the city's most famous auction houses, Christie's. Located right in the heart of Rockefeller Center, Christie's displays beautiful art, china, furniture, and jewelry from around the world to prospective buyers. While it mostly caters to the world's elite collectors, I've actually found it to be a much more relaxed and interactive environment than most of the city's museums and galleries. At Christie's, you can run your fingers along the many textiles, sit on the couches, and open the beautiful armoires in the filled to capacity showrooms.
Recently I stopped by Christie's, never quite knowing what I'm going to discover, when I chanced upon the most incredible scene. It was a few days before a large and rare collection of violins from the 18th and 19th centuries were going for auction. A dozen or so violinists were picking up the rare instruments and giving them a test run in what was a beautiful and jaw dropping euphony of classical harmonies. If I had the faintest idea how to play violin, it would have been a golden opportunity to try my hand at one of these rare and incredible instruments. A few days later, a highly prized Stradivari violin from 1729 sold for a cool $2.7 million.
While this isn't a place to bring the whole family and lots of kids (no bulls in this china shop), it is a place where you can see some pretty incredible treasures from artists such as Picasso, Klimt, and Bougeureau depending on the auction of that week. And of course if you're inclined, for the right price, you can always take something home with you.
Happy Bidding!
For more info visit: www.christies.com
Christies is located at 20 Rockefeller Plaza between 5th and 6th Avenue.
