Auction houses celebrate bumper year of blockbuster art sales

Deaths and divorces of major collectors fuel record 14.3bn in sales at Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips

The world's biggest auction houses are celebrating record-breaking revenues this year after the deaths or divorces of art-collecting billionaires led to a series of blockbuster sales.

In total, the three big auction houses - Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips - sold 14.3bn worth of art and other collectibles in 2022.