Best Art Auction Houses In Boston Near Me

Danny Clark: Very difficult to deal with start to finish. It is almost like they have designed their system to see just how many possible road blocks they can put up for a buyer.

Chris Warren: I have been a customer of both Skinner and Bonhams for many years and it pains me to write this review since in general I thought they were an honest and fair auction house. I have a serious complaint about a recent item that I bid on (lot 0327 in the November 8, 2022 auction they held in Los Angeles). I was the winning bidder on LiveAuctioneers (in GREEN stating I was "WINNING", for over 30 seconds) when they arbitrarily retracted my bid and sold this item to someone else. I DID NOT RETRACT MY BID.....THEY DID....and I watched it happen LIVE while I was participating in the auction. This is completely unfair and they have yet to provide me with any sort of explanation. I might have expected this from a lower end auction house, but for someone like Bonham's/Skinners this is SHAMEFUL and totally unacceptable. I have filed a complaint with LiveAuctioneers, but that is likely not going to go anywhere since they are just a mediator....so my only recourse is to publicly SHAME this auction house for such an inappropriate action. Buyers beware!!!!!

Nicolas Waardenberg: Annoying when then don’t reply on anything after purchasing pieces

Franziska: Ongoing issues with this company continue to get worse. Lack of professionalism, poor communication and others. Will not work with them any more after decades.

John Danis: Canceled sale without making any effort to correct their error, will avoid Skinner in the future.

Jeffrey Moore: Positive:ProfessionalismGood experience both buying and selling at Skinner. Knowledgable staff and accurate item descriptions

Yossi Marchette: terriblethey claim to be willing to start the process of selling artist at auctionbut when i submitted a piece by a very good artist they declined becuase it didnt have a auction record and when i called to clarify they denied ever saying that they would start the process,they then claimed that auction is exclusively for secondary sale and living artists almost never get a part of that money, but as we know its not true there are many living artists who make big miney at auction and the only reason most artists even the ones who have a auction record dont do that is becuase there is so much misinformation in the auction market.saying that auction is exclusively secondary market is a front to cover up their selfish silliness to only sell famous art .to all you artists out there this is the truth

Jason Krueger: I had a terrible experience with a recent auction. I was notified by Skinner during a live auction and by email that I had been awarded a lot that I was actively bidding on. However, the lot was reopened, without any notice or explanation, and it was awarded to someone else at a higher bid. I believe that these practices are unprofessional at best, unethical at worst. I will no longer be a customer.

Alan Z: Avoid Skinner! Apart from a few bright spots (Judith/Asian Art and her scholar/assistant Richard, Jonathan/Clocks and Watches, and a generally amiable, well-intentioned staff, albeit with one or two nonresponsive or conceited higher-ups)), Skinner can be a miserable place to sell your artwork. As a very accomplished and knowledgeable ethnographic art and antiquities dealer from Cambridge, who, sadly, is no longer with us, once observed to me after a Skinner auction, Skinner sells art "by the yard". By that he meant that, in his view (and I concur), Skinner runs a wholesale, high volume business catering to dealers seeking cheap inventory. In my view, Skinner has never developed the cachet necessary to build the level of retail (i.e., collector)presence achieved by the the top-tier N.Y. firms. And their recent headline making acceptance (and later withdrawal) of a painting misidentified as a Florine Stettheimer (an important, albeit not well known, artist) cannot engender much trust among collectors. Concerning consignments, under their contract, Skinner can lower estimates and place artwork in a cheap (less expensive to run) Discovery sale where low estimates and low expectations set the stage for low results. A painting by Anne Harris, "Self-Portrait in Paul's Shirt", is a good example of what can go wrong at Skinner. Originally sold by Nielsen Gallery, Boston, it was placed by Skinner 'experts' in a Discovery sale, (Discovery/Studio Paintings, Nov. 10, 2010, 2525M/Marlborough, lot 39) sat unnoticed, and sold for a hammer price of $350, about 98% below her gallery pricing at the time. According to Anne, Phil (Alexandre Gallery) sought out the purchaser and bought the painting for $4,000. Another work by Anne Harris, "With Max in May", (Studio Art Online, July 10, 2019, 3267T/Marlborough, lot 1303), from a series that formed the basis for a museum solo exhibition, sold for $1,500, half of its original Nielsen Gallery price, and about 75% below her current gallery pricing. And a painting by Laurel Hughes, "Settling", (Discovery Interiors, August 21, 2019, 3280T, lot 1140) sold for $130, about 90% below its original Nielsen Gallery price. In my view, any of these works (at least one of which I have a strong familiarity with) would have done well in a better promoted and followed (and more expensive to run) fine art auction. But that is not how Skinner chose to handle them. My advice? Go elsewhere, maybe to a good boutique firm like (rhymes with) Logan, if you need to stay in Boston, or (rhymes with) wind, man, (they recently did well with a comparable Suzanna Coffey work), in the Windy City if you can ship there.

Matthew O'Hara: Positive:Professionalism,Responsiveness

ImNot ChevyChase: I have been in the auction business since 1972; I have been a client of Skinner's since 1988... The auction business is a tough one - because the vast majority of people do not understand the process. First, the items are received from the consignor; Then they are described and photographed for the auction; Then they are put in storage pending the auction; Then they prepared (dusted, polished and the like) are exhibited before the auction; Then they are arranged for efficient delivery after the auction; Then they are offered for auction; Then the buyers must make payment and arrange for pick-up and delivery... Those that are not paid for immediately must then be stored once again... Then, after full payment is made; the consignors are paid... As you can see, this is a labor intensive; time consuming' multi-step process involving several different departments... Much more often than not, things go smoothly. The moment they don't; the consignors and buyers that do not 'Get' the process begin to complain. IF you are selling something and the exact timing of payment is required, discuss that with your receiver and/or the head of the Department in advance. I am sure that something can be arranged... IF you are trying to buy something, and take it with you, you will HAVE TO make arrangements in advance. Otherwise your check purchases will be held until your check clears... And I cannot tell you how often checks have to be redeposited several times before they clear, BUT, it is quite common in this business, as some buyers attempt to sell their purchases quickly to cover their checks...

2NATURAL: BEWARE, THIS COMPANY WORKS WITH SCAMMERS!!!!A guy by the name of "Nitin" and his boss "Mahesh" reached out to us, saying they work for Utility Saving Expert, and had offered us a deal that entailed saving 50% on our utility bills. Initially, they claimed that they will save us money on our credit card bill, upon paying their vendor "Skinner Inc (THIS COMPANY)" $2,934. Over the course of 24 hours, Nitin had asked us to deposit $2,934 in an account named "Skinner Inc" (with a boston address), stating that this account is a verified vendor. After doing so, our credit card company had told us that the bill they paid was returned unpaid, and they ran away with our $2,934.We are currently investigating this situation and we STRONGLY advise steering clear from this company, as they are working with scammers.The account was under the account name Skinner Inc in Boston MA (in other words, THIS COMPANY'S account)

Yogic Wisdom: Critical:ProfessionalismThe Head of the Music Department Adam Tober is a clown. Skinner is a good place to buy historic artifacts and I have bought a few good watches.If you would like to buy or consign a violin, do not ever consider this auction house !

Andrew Gorski: Skinner responded to my original review, posted below. In an email, a Skinner rep asked "if there was anything we could assist you with." I called back and am still waiting for a response. Skinner collected a premium of $675 from me, the buyer, and $675 from the seller. I purchased the item for $2700. So, for the combined $1350 premium that Skinner collected you might expect a best practices policy in customer service of responding to a client's concern. Compare Heritage Auctions charging me $8 for shipping a coin purchase from Dallas to Richmond. while Skinner's recommended shipper charged me $148. Skinner ignores a client once they bank the premium and presume their tackiness will be forgotten. Maybe not. Ms Keane should restore integrity to the shabby and indifferent actions of Skinner's customer service.I bought two lots of coins for $2700. Skinner recommended an in-house shipper who charged me $148 for shipping about 8 ounces of coins to Richmond VA. I called Skinner to discuss adjusting or rectifying this outrageous charge for shipping. Skinner and a Ms Keane would not return calls to their offices. So sad to see this company turn so cheesy and greedy.

David Fischbach: Very poorly run organization. Sent them a check to pay for a lot. They claimed they never got it so I sent another. They tried to cash both. Fortunately I had stopped payment on the first. Called 3 times to try to remedy but no one returned the calls. First time....last time.

Unknown Musician: Everything seems to be going smoothly for me. From initial appraisal, to consignment, to shipping, to consignment agreement... Last will be the auction and the sale (the most important part). I am happy. EDIT: Everything went fine. I just got my check. The fees are a little high (but I also wouldn't have been able to sell the product without them...) They did everything promised. I am going to use them again very soon.

Jerry Rucin: I won a no reserve auction and they canceled the sale after the auction was over. Highly unethical happy to have learned my lesson before investing heavily with them.

Don Locknane: After several emails back and forth, including numerous pictures of every description and angle they asked for of my 100 year old bottle of rare alcohol, they just completely stopped all correspondence including emails, etc. I sent several emails that were totally ignored. Very unprofessional.

Nassim Jereidini: I took once some precolombian small pieces to Skinner.They want the entire lots appraised for $200 to $300...I took my Items to different auctioneer where they sold it individually and I got $1500 after their commission.Appraiser at Skinner are all number guessers but not well experienced.Stay away.Go to different auctioneers.

JonesKnows: Very helpful staff. Very knowledgeable

susiemcintosh1946: I have always had a good experience with these professionals. Helpful, thoughtful, knowledgeable. Jewelry is outstanding. Service superb.

Klujian M.: Extremely knowledgeable and one of the most honest and reputable auctioneers I have ever meet.

John Chaski: Most of the issues people seem to have had are things they would experience at ANY auction house. Carl has always been a class act as far as I'm concerned and I've always been treated fairly when buying or selling.

Malcolm Slimy: all the negative reviews for this auctioneer are confirmed. He has been hardened by many years of loving money above all other things including integrity. Whether buying or sell... Caveat emptor dealing with this guy.

Robert Barresi: I am a 45 year silver collector, specializing in China trade silver, Meijiand Indian colonial silver.CRN has offered fine examples of each, accurately listed including honest, accurate condition reporting.The staff is knowledgeable, prompt and friendly,I recommend working with CRN whether you are a novice or experienced collector, museum, or estate attorney.RB

Zoe DeStories: Great selection of antiques; nice people.

yao fei li: they CRN sell damaged item and describe in good condition, NO refund NO return poor customer service , 😥😥😥

Maggie Hunt: Excellent! CRN’s exceeded my expectations in sales and service. Thank you!

Michael Haskell: On May 20th of 2018, I purchased a pair of silver candlesticks from CRN listed as "Rare pair of Spanish Colonial Silver Candlesticks, 18th Century Mexico. When I received the candlesticks it was obvious they were modern copies done in the 18th century style out of sheet silver most likely in Cochabamba Bolivia. I immediately phoned the auction house to tell them I planned to return them as they were not real and obvious copies. They refused to refund my money and offered to re-offer them at a future auction and not charge me a commission. A totally inappropriate response. Were they going to re-offer them as 18th century or modern? This is really unfortunate because my son and I have bought things from them in the past that we really liked. An auction house that doesn't stand behind their own description is something is an auction house you need to approach with caution.

David E Erskine: CRN Auctions are just the best!

Lucy Grogan Edwards: Carl, Karin, and the staff at CRN are consistently knowledgeable and friendly. My family has both consigned and bought from CRN over many years and have always been pleased with the experience and impressed by the results. Highly recommend!

Luca Lu: Disgusted and disgusted by your fake auction, wish you "long life"

Blake McDowall: Joined one of their online auctions and it was clearly including bidding bots. Items I didn’t bid on went unbid, and if I participated they drive the price up well over value. There are other reviews on sites claiming similar. I would only go in-person; don’t join their online auctions