FAQ's

Artiana bridges the gap between traditional and online auction houses, creating a unique click-and-mortar hybrid. We offer personalized client consultations, printed auction catalogues, and a viewing gallery in the heart of Dubai’s business district and by conducting timed online auctions, Artiana benefits from a global audience without the inconveniences of various time zones.

• We offer our clients a personalized service and experience offline, while bringing to them the convenience of online bidding and auction participation.
• Artiana’s proprietary, state of the art online auction software allows you to place a maximum bid either before or during the auction, giving bidders the flexibility of participating without having to follow the sale. Prior to the sale, prospective buyers can view detailed cataloguing, illustrations, and condition reports for each lot, all of which are easily accessible online.
• Being committed to making auction transactions cost-effective and streamlining the process, Artiana passes on all the benefits accruing from using an online auction platform to the clients. This allows us to completely eliminate the Buyer’s Premium that auction houses usually charge on the hammer price, thereby providing the best possible value proposition for both, the buyer and consignor.
• As Artiana is domiciled in a free zone, Buyer’s from Rest of World except the UAE do not pay any taxes on the hammer price that would typically be applicable in most other jurisdictions, the final invoiced amount would be the winning bid price in their case. Buyer’s from within the UAE will pay a Value Added Tax (VAT) of 5% only on Artiana’s commission of 20% thereby reducing the overall impact on the final invoiced amount considerably. Other services such as insurance, storage and shipping charges, if availed, would invoiced at actuals.

You are welcome to browse through the site and view our information pages including all auction catalogues - upcoming, current and past. However, in order to participate in an auction, you will have to complete a one time registration process on the website and subsequently request bidding access for every sale thereafter.

In order to bid and buy with Artiana, you will first have to register with us by following a simple process that is clearly described on our registration page. Once you have registered, you can Sign In with your Artiana ID and request bidding access for the specific sale that you wish to participate in. The high value lots in the sale will be categorized as Gold level, Platinum level and Diamond level for which bidding access at these levels would be required. Once this request is received, the Artiana Team will either grant you bidding access, or ask you for additional information that may be required to complete this process.

Each auction routine begins after the catalogue is posted online. Once you are signed into the site and your bidding access has been granted, you can either leave proxy (advance or maximum) bids on Lots of interest, or choose to place regular bids once the auction has started. The auction catalogue will be available online for a dedicated period of time, and the date and time at which the auction will close for bids will be displayed clearly in each catalogue.

Yes, Artiana offers the facility of viewing a lot in actual, either during the designated viewing times set out at the top of each catalogue page, or by prior appointment in our viewing room at 903, The Metropolis, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE. If you would like to be invited to our private previews, we suggest registering for the sale early and contacting our Auction Help Desk by telephone on +971 55 8153030 or by email at auction@artiana.com

Yes, we make note of any significant damage or condition issues in our online cataloguing. In addition, our specialist in charge of the sale will be pleased to provide you with a detailed condition report upon request. Simply email us a request specifying the lots in which you are interested, and our specialist will get back to you with a comprehensive condition report before the sale date.

Bidding access is given at Artiana’s discretion and Artiana may assign limits to bidders and/or require payment guarantees or deposits prior to giving bidding access. The high value lots in the sale will be categorized as Gold level, Platinum level and Diamond level for which bidding access at these levels would be required. Bidders will be informed in advance if any bidding limits have been placed on their account. Please contact our Auction Help Desk by telephone on +971 55 8153030 or by email at auction@artiana.com for any further information.

• ONLINE BIDDING: Online bidding allows you to actively participate in the bidding process by entering a bid and, subsequently, the next valid bid (or one of a higher value - Proxy Bid) each time you are outbid. Your screen will display the next (minimum) valid bid, based on a predetermined increment. Only a bid of that exact amount or a Proxy Bid of higher amount can be entered. Please note that bidders may be contacted during the auction for bid verification in order to protect all bidders and maintain the efficacy of the process.
• PROXY/ MAXIMUM BIDDING: A Proxy Bid is designed for those who are not available to follow the bidding process, or who would simply like to reserve a maximum bid on a lot. Proxy bidding allows you to indicate a maximum bid amount once a catalogue goes live for an auction, and the auction software will bid on your behalf up to this point. A Proxy or Maximum bid can be placed on any lot by going to ‘Upcoming Auctions’ or ‘Current Auction’, selecting the Lot of interest and clicking the ‘Proxy Bid’ button next to any lot on which you wish to bid. Please note you must be registered and signed in to place a bid at any time. If you are the only person to bid on your lot and your Proxy Bid matches or is higher than the Reserve Price, then you will purchase it at the lowest possible price - the Reserve Price. The auction software will notify you every time you have been outbid and not specifically after your maximum limit has been reached or outbid.
• WRITTEN/ ABSENTEE BIDDING: An Absentee bid is designed for those who may not be available during the auction, or who would prefer to use a manual procedure to bid. An Absentee Bid form is required to be filled in, specifying your maximum bid amount for each Lot; following which an Artiana representative will either bid on your behalf until the specified maximum bid amount is reached or shall place a ’Proxy Bid’ on your behalf, in which case the auction software will bid on your behalf up to this point. If you are the only person to bid on your lot and your Written Bid matches or is higher than the Reserve Price, then you will purchase it at the lowest possible price - the Reserve Price.
• MOBILE BIDDING: At Artiana, Online or Proxy Bids can be executed on any android or ios device, allowing you to participate on the move from anywhere in the world. Artiana’s mobile application that gives direct access to its auction site can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play directly onto to your applicable mobile device.

A Reserve Price assigned to a lot is the lowest bid amount that must be achieved in order for a lot to be sold to a bidder. The Reserve Price is always equal or lower than the low estimate. This price is confidential and will not be disclosed.

A Starting Bid is the bid amount at which Artiana opens bidding on a lot.

A Winning Bid is the last and highest bid at which a lot has closed. The closing bid is considered to be the Winning Bid only if it has exceeded the Reserve Price. However, if the closing bid that is below the Reserve Price belongs to a proxy bidder whose maximum Proxy Bid exceeds or matches the Reserve Price then the Lot will be sold to the proxy bidder at the Reserve Price. Winning bids for all lots sold will be posted on the website after the close of an auction.

Bids placed can be tracked through the ‘Lots I Bid On’ link in the ‘Current Auctions’ page of the website, here bidders can access information on all their bids in one convenient place. Latest bid values and the ‘Bid History’ for all lots will automatically be refreshed every 5 minutes prior to the last hour before Closing Time of the first Lot Group and every minute starting with the last hour of Closing Time of the first Lot Group, till the end of the auction. Alternatively, users can refresh the page immediately by clicking on the ‘Refresh Now’ icon or by refreshing their browser.

Once any bid has been placed, it cannot be cancelled. Artiana reserves the right to cancel any bids in order to protect the efficacy of the bidding process.

Predetermined groups of Lots will close simultaneously in Lot order every 20 minutes. If a bid is placed on a Lot within the last 5 minutes, the Closing Time for this Lot will be extended by 5 minutes after the original scheduled Closing Time of the Lot. The timer will continue to be extended in 5 minute increments for any bidding received in the 5 minutes prior to the new Closing Time of such Lot. As with any traditional auction house, bidding will continue on each Lot until there is no more interest in the Lot; which in the case of Artiana is the last 5 minutes before the Closing Time whether extended or original.

Unlike other auction houses, Artiana does not charge any Buyer's Premium. This is in line with our commitment to keep the transactional costs for both, buyers and sellers, at a minimum.

As Artiana is domiciled in a free zone, Buyer’s from Rest of World except the UAE are not liable to pay any taxes on the winning bid or hammer price, their final invoiced amount would simply reflect the winning bid amount. Buyer’s from within the UAE will pay a Value Added Tax (VAT) of 5% only on the winning bid or hammer price. Lots that are offered on a temporary import status, and are sold within the GCC ( Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) are subject to a 5% import duty plus VAT of 5% normally payable at Dubai port, these Lots will be marked in the catalogue accordingly.

All successful bidders will be sent an email invoice in United States Dollars (USD) for the winning bid amount and the payment details. Buyers will be invoiced on the details provided by them prior to the auction. All payments are due immediately and no shipment or delivery will be made until Artiana has received the full purchase price in cleared funds.

Bidders will be sent an email invoice for the winning bid amount only. Additional services such as insurance, storage and shipping charges, if availed, would be billed at actuals.

You can either collect your items from our viewing gallery in Business Bay, Dubai after the auction, or take advantage of our free local delivery service within Dubai, and at a nominal fee in the rest of the UAE. For international shipments, we would be happy to refer you to our recommended logistics company, which will provide you with a quote for immediate shipping and delivery.

Because you will be able to physically view the item at our viewing gallery before the auction, or in detail online and obtain a comprehensive Condition Report from the specialist.

Artiana provides an assurance to it’s original buyer on behalf of the seller that every item, offered for auction on our website, is a genuine work of the artist/maker listed. Artiana guarantees the authenticity of the item for a period of six months from its collection date. (Authenticity in relation to artworks shall mean compliance of the artwork with the description provided on the website, particularly with reference to the name of the artist, title (if any) of the artwork, date, the school of art, dimensions, medium etc.). Please refer to our Conditions of Sale for details of Artiana’s Authenticity Guarantee.

For consigning items to any of our forthcoming sales, you should contact our auction desk directly by email at auction@artiana.com. Be sure to attach images, a brief description, and the purchase and provenance details of the items you wish to consign.

This will depend on when the next suitable sale is scheduled to come up. Our seller’s commission charges are 25% of the winning bid amount. The seller's commission will be deducted from the payment made by the buyer. Although we do not charge any additional amounts for cataloguing or photography, the packing, insurance and shipping charges to and from Artiana (only in case the lot remains unsold and has to be returned to the consignor) are to be borne by the consignor.

You are welcome to contact our Auction Help Desk by telephone on +971-55-8153030 or by email at auction@artiana.com , and we will give you all the help and assistance required.