A 2024 of Success and Records

Cambi Auction House closes 2024 with extraordinary results, marking a record turnover of 41,157,000 euros, up 18 percent from 2023. This success testifies to the effectiveness of the company’s strategy, which has been able to combine tradition and innovation, confirming Cambi as a leader in the panorama of Italian and international auction houses.

With 99 organized auctions, including 55 online auctions, Cambi brought 27,384 lots to auction, achieving a sale rate of 60 percent and a 190 percent adjudication rate by value. This result reflects the growing interest in the art market and the consolidation of Cambi as a reference point for collectors and enthusiasts.

Areas of excellence

In 2024, Cambi Auction House’s departments recorded outstanding performance. The Department of Old Master Paintings and Drawings was confirmed as one of the most relevant, reaching a total turnover of 5.3 million euros, thanks to the sale of historical works of great artistic value, such as the work by
Luca Giordano, “Santippe pours water on the neck of Socrates,” which was awarded at
137,600 euros.

As for the 19th-century Painting department, it achieved extraordinary results with artists such as Angelo Morbelli and Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, whose paintings, including “Roofs Under Snow” and “La Clementina,” exceeded initial estimates with adjudications of 382,100 euros and 243,850 euros, respectively.

The Department of Modern and Contemporary Art shone through with the adjudication of works by internationally renowned artists, such as Vasily Kandinsky’s “Zu oben durch blau” (1930), which sold for 670,100 euros, well above its initial estimate, confirming it as the top lot of the year, and Marino Marini’s “Piccolo cavallo” (1950), which sold for 346,100 euros.

The Luxury sector also performed particularly well, registering sales of 10,975,000 euros, driven by high-end jewelry and watches, such as the Patek Philippe, Ref 2499/100, in yellow gold with moon phases, which fetched 550,100 euros.

Twentieth-Century Design and Decorative Arts continued their ascent, totaling 6,600,000 euros with iconic pieces, including a chair by Carlo Mollino, a symbol of Italian design d’auteur.

A solid and consistent sector was Numismatics, which maintained a 90 percent sales rate, with sales of 2,564,000 million euros, confirming collectors’ interest in valuable coins and medals. We highlight the department’s top lot, the double ducat of Ludovico Maria Sforza, known as the Moor, Milan, 1494-1500, sold for 25,625 euros.

Oriental Art attracted considerable interest during the year, with one of the most notable adjudications represented by the sale of a large porcelain fish tank from the Qing dynasty, Qianlong era, which was sold for 137,000 euros.

International market

The year 2024 saw significant international participation. 39% of the value of sales came from foreign clients, with a particular concentration in the United States (18% of foreign sales), France (15%) and the United Kingdom (8%). In terms of lots sold, 28% were awarded abroad, confirming the growing attractiveness of Italian auctions in the global arena. Digital channels, including MyCambi, have played a key role in this expansion, making auctions more accessible and strengthening the relationship with collectors around the world.

2025 Preview

Among the most anticipated events in the new year are Fine Design and Photography, scheduled for January 21 and whose catalogs are already online, and Fine Asian Works of Art, an auction dedicated to Oriental art, scheduled for February. The traditional spring auctions also promise a wide variety of lots of great interest.

Rare floor pendulum clock by Adolf Loos and wall-mounted storage cabinet by Osvaldo Borsani and Adriano Spilimbergo, up for auction in the Fine Design catalog

MyCambi portal and innovation

Cambi continues to invest in technology and digitization to make auctions more accessible. Surpassing 100,000 registered users in 2024, Cambi’s website has become a platform of choice for collectors around the world.

2024 was a very successful year for Cambi Auction House, thanks to its ability to innovate and interpret the needs of a changing market. Thanks to the combination of quality, diversification, and international openness, Cambi is confirmed as a benchmark in the auction scene, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.