I t was a triumphant year at Sotheby’s. With $8 billion of sales across our global network, the sustained demand for blue-chip masterpieces is clear – whether in established or new categories.

The company’s expanded offerings and digital reach caught the imagination of new clients across the world. We found that over 40 percent of bidders this year were new to Sotheby’s (that was nearly 50 percent in luxury categories), and a record number of bidders under 40 years of age generated a buzz across our categories, proving that the company’s appeal crosses generational as well as geographic borders.

And building on the year’s highlights – such as the sale of Rene Magritte’s L’empire des lumières which sold in London for £59,422,000, the billion-dollar Macklowe Collection in New York and the Williamson Pink Star diamond which broke a world record in Hong Kong when it sold for HK$453,223,000 / £47,933,130 – Sotheby’s enters 2023 atop a globally connected market, bringing the best in art, design, luxury, wine, antiques and much more to discerning clients worldwide.

So as we look back over the past twelve months, we asked a selection of our global team of specialists and experts to share their highlights of the past year – and anticipate the coming twelve months. Here is what they had to say.