Days before its high-profile spring auctions, Christie’s, a renowned auction house, faced a cyberattack that brought down its website. As a result, collectors, dealers, and art market observers were left in a state of disarray as they sought crucial information about upcoming sales. The cyberattack forced the website to redirect visitors to a placeholder page, listing only telephone numbers for Christie’s offices worldwide, causing inconvenience and uncertainty among potential bidders.
Christie’s spokesperson confirmed the cyber incident but did not provide specific details regarding the nature of the attack or the timeline for resolving the issue. Despite the disruption, the auction house assured clients that it was taking necessary measures to manage the situation, including engaging additional technology experts to address the security breach promptly. However, concerns persisted among stakeholders about the potential exposure of client data and the impact on the integrity of upcoming auctions.
The timing of the cyberattack heightened anxiety within the art market community, with significant lots scheduled for auction, including prized artworks by Claude Monet and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Additionally, Christie’s was tasked with handling the sale of collections from influential collectors Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, adding to the urgency of resolving the website outage. As cyber threats increasingly target art-market functions and operations, stakeholders grapple with the implications for digital security and the safeguarding of valuable assets in an evolving landscape of online commerce.
