“Auctions can be intimidating, and understandably so because it is not a venue where people feel they can readily participate in,” says businessman and watch specialist Paolo Martel, who has been tapped by Finale Art File as a collaborator for this project alongside art collector Jayson Ong. “The auction scene is a little bit dated, which is why we are nding ways to widen the net and make beginner collectors feel more welcome.”
Finale has been in the auction game since the late 1990s until the early 2000s. During this period, its Executive Director, Evita Sarenas, and the late art connoisseur Ramon Villegas hosted auctions just for fun. Sarenas, who has extensive experience in appraisal and authentication for both institutions and private collectors, is a well-respected name in the art world.
In October 2017, she decided to revive the auction business under the banner Finale Auctions with the last ne art auction held in April of this year. Its next auction takes place this month—on the 13th (for ne art) and 14th (watches and jewellery).
“To sustain the gallery—which is my passion, and therefore art for art’s sake—I source works by big name artists and sell them,” explains Sarenas. “Nowadays, collectors prefer to unload their pieces through auctions because of the higher prices that can be fetched through bidding. When the idea of resurrecting the auction house came about, I decided to go with it because it would merit additional support for the gallery.”