Sotheby’s has been quietly writing to English councils, offering free valuations of their top five artworks, according to the Financial Times—a generous-sounding move that critics say smells like a prelude to a public-sector fire sale.
In a letter sent by the auction house’s Tax, Heritage and UK Museums division, the pitch was framed as obligation-free. But attached were case studies of past sales. The subtext? “Ever think about how much that Lowry gathering dust in storage might be worth?”
The offer comes as local councils, already stretched thin, face brutal decisions—cut services, raise taxes, or sell assets. Some have already gone bankrupt. Enter Sotheby’s, which is also facing its own squeeze after a more than 25% dip in global sales last year.
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Critics aren’t mincing words. Maurice Davis of Cultural Associates Oxford called the move an attempt to “tempt them into thinking about what assets they could strip.” Sir Mark Jones, former director of the V&A and interim director of the British Museum, was even more blunt: “Sotheby’s must be rather desperate.”
Cultural leaders warn that selling council-owned art could alienate donors and gut public collections built over generations. “Public collections are at the heart of a successful community,” said Simon Wallis, director of the Hepworth Wakefield. Offloading works to cover shortfalls, he warned, solves nothing long-term—and permanently diminishes the public trust.
Councils including Leeds, Derby, and Kirklees were contacted. Some ignored the offer. Others, like Horsham, left the door ajar. And they’d be wise to remember: when Northampton flogged a prized Egyptian statue for £15.8mn in 2014, it lost its Arts Council accreditation—and the public funding that came with it.
Sotheby’s told the FT it’s only offering services like insurance valuations and says museums weren’t contacted directly. Still, in a climate where both councils and auction houses are feeling the pinch, it’s hard not to read between the brushstrokes.