Bonhams

Bonhams is one of a very few top-tier fine art auction houses in the world. Since its establishment in 1793, it has been amongst the most respected and trusted brands in the industry. From a single showroom in eighteenth-century London, Bonhams' expertise and the trust of its clients has enabled it to grow into the internationally admired business it is today. Over the last couple of decades, Bonhams has experienced a remarkable period of prosperity and expansion under the seasoned and capable leadership of its executive board. The current owners acquired the family-owned firm of Bonhams and merged it with specialist auctioneer Brooks in 2000. This merger created the platform that has made Bonhams a powerful and dynamic twenty-first century auction house. Shortly after this partnership was forged, Bonhams was again expanded through the merger with Phillips Son & Neale, bringing together two of the four surviving Georgian auction houses in London. Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of the United States joined the Group in 2002. Today, operating out of its major salerooms in London, New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Los Angeles, Bonhams conducts some 400 annual sales through its sixty specialist departments. The same guiding principles have ensured Bonhams' success over the past two centuries. With specialists in every major area of art and collectables, the depth of collective knowledge of Bonhams auctioneers has enabled the company to challenge the market positions of Sotheby's and Christie's. In 2009 Bonhams announced that it had taken market leadership in ten key areas of the UK art market for the first time including Antiquities, Arms and Armour, Watches and Clocks, Motor Cars, European Ceramics and Japanese art. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to: www.bonhams.com.