Art Auctioneer
Which schools offer Art Auctioneer-related training?
Art Auctioneer Career
An Art Auctioneer prices and sells a wide a variety of art items. You work at an auction house, and lead the bidding at live auctions.
This is an instantly recognizable profession—as an Art Auctioneer, you stand at the front of the room and hype up each item that comes on the block…“500! I hear 500 from the gentleman in the back! Do a hear 550?!” As your salary comes from commissions off the sales, you want that price to go as high as it will.
To get the price up you need to handle and move the crowd. Though art auctions tend to be a bit more dignified than the typical caricatures of auction houses suggest, they are still incredibly intense and exciting when a highly contested piece comes up. The position of Art Auctioneer is a mix of gambling, showboating, and performance, which you couple with your art knowledge and appreciation to present each piece under ideal circumstances.
Your daily tasks vary depending on your house: sometimes you gather and appraise the objects to be sold, advertise for the auction, and look after the clean up and delivery of goods. Other times you focus solely on the selling of the pieces.
However whatever else surrounds it, your main job is to use your marketing genius to gauge the crowd and provoke their interest.
How do I become an Art Auctioneer?
Although auctioneering in other industries require only a high school diploma, most Art Auctioneers pursue a college degree. After that you apprentice with a house or auctioneer before you pursue your license.