Pre-sale exhibitions

What are pre-sale exhibitions?

Pre-sale exhibitions are displays of works that will be auctioned in a few days' time, and where you can look at them up close. It is a rare moment when works heading for private collections hang in public view one last time. Something of a farewell exhibition before the work disappears behind private doors.

How does it work?

Before the sale itself, the auction house exhibits the works on offer so that bidders and curious visitors can see them in the flesh. In London or Paris these are frequently small free shows at which genuine masterworks can be encountered. Entry tends to be free, so anyone can come and look, not only buyers.

Why does it matter to a collector or buyer?

Seeing a work in the flesh is quite different from seeing a photograph, because only up close do you take in its true colour, texture and condition. For a buyer it is the moment to examine a work properly before deciding to bid. And isn't it also a rare chance to stand face to face with a work you may never see in public again?

What should you watch out for?

Pre-sale exhibitions last only a short time, so once the sale is over the works generally disappear into private hands and another chance to see them may not come. If a particular work interests you, it pays to come in good time and look at it with your own eyes rather than relying on the catalogue. It would be a shame to let that moment slip.

— Anna Pulkertová, founder of Art Part Club