Why sell with DESA Unicum?
DESA Unicum is the largest and most dynamically developing auction house not only in Poland but also in Central and Eastern Europe. We hold more than 70 auctions in all major categories and successfully sell almost 5000 items per year. We effectively connect collectors and artists who share their love of art with us. Thanks to our company, the most important sales records of the Polish art market have been documented.
We guarantee safety and professionalism at every stage. As the largest auction house in Poland, we have been dealing with professional valuations and sales of works of art for years.
Only auction sales guarantee the highest price for a work of art. Why should You trust Us?
1
Exceptional specialist and client service teams
Our qualified team will guide you through the entire sales process. It consists of the best art historians, conservators and experts with many years of experience in working on the art market.
2
Unrivalled art market experience
We are the largest and oldest auction house in Poland. This way you can be sure that your items are checked by the most experienced professionals.
3
Various sales platforms
We organize the largest number of auctions in Poland - over 70 per year. We are the current leaders in live auctions, online auctions and private sales. With a variety of platforms, your work will achieve the highest possible recognition and price.
4
Highest sales results
As a leader on the Polish art market, we reach the highest sales results among all auction houses in Poland. It is worth trusting the valuation prepared by our experts. We have a proven track record of achieving prices that meet or exceed estimates.
How to sell at DESA Unicum?
1
Notify us about your item
Contact our Consignment Services and present the object you want to sell. For this we will need basic information about the object and a clear photographic reproduction of the work. After preliminary assessment, we will ask you to deliver the item to our location. If necessary, we can help you arrange transport.
To submit an item you can bring it to our Customer Service or provide us with information and documents about it via:
- the DESA Unicum mobile app available in Appstore and Play Store
- the application form for evaluation on our website
- e-mail - after sending a photo and description to the following address: wyceny@desa.pl
- traditional mail - after sending photos and descriptions to the address: DESA Unicum Customer Service, ul. Piękna 1A, 00-477 Warsaw
- in person - bringing the item to the Customer Service Office, which is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2
Valuation
Your item will be professionally valued to determine its worth. On this basis, an estimation is made. The final valuation is possible only after seeing the item in person. We will ask you to deliver the item to us. Valuation as part of the sales process is free of charge.
3
Professional Visual Inspection
During the Evaluation Process, a group of our experts carefully checks and confirms the authenticity of the work of art and determines its market value. If your item is damaged or incomplete, we will advise you on the conservation and possible framing of the painting so that it can achieve the best price at an auction.
4
Insurance and deposit
Once your property has been qualified for an auction, it is safely stored with us and insured for the amount specified in the deposit document. This guarantees that it is fully protected throughout the auction preparation period.
5
Signing the agreement
After verifying the assessment and agreeing on the terms of sale, we prepare the Commission Agreement. Then we invite you to sign it in our office or send it by post or e-mail. After signing the commission agreement, the item is ready to be auctioned.
6
Display of the item at the auction exhibition
The item, which you have commissioned us to sell, will be presented in detail in a printed and electronic catalogue available on our website and on other auction websites in Poland and abroad. The printed auction catalogue will be sent to customers two weeks prior the auction. It will also be presented at an auction exhibition at our institution 10 days before the auction, where potential customers will be able to see it in person.
7
The Auction
Your property will be auctioned at a public auction. It will be sold to the bidder who offers the highest price accepted by the auctioneer. The sale will be subject to the Auction Sales Terms and Conditions.
8
Payment
Payment for the item sold is made by a bank transfer within 28 days from the auction, provided that the buyer pays for the item in full. Payment is made to a specified account unless another payment method is agreed upon. Payment is made in PLN. If payment in a different currency is required, the costs of purchasing and paying in that currency will be covered by the customer. We will inform you about sending the payment via e-mail.
See the FAQ
Seeking Consignments
Auction date: Oct. 26, 2023
Application time limit Sept. 29, 2023
Auction date: Nov. 7, 2023
Application time limit Oct. 7, 2023
Auction date: Dec. 5, 2023
Application time limit Oct. 10, 2023
Auction date: Dec. 7, 2023
Application time limit Oct. 31, 2023
Contact our Specialist
Our team of experienced Specialists will guide you through the entire sales process. We work with art historians, conservators and experts, who have years of experience in valuing and authenticating works of art. By clicking on the “Departments" tab, you can familiarize yourself with the auction projects conducted at DESA Unicum and individual Specialists responsible for their implementation.
To ensure an even more comfortable and safe sales process of each work of art, we offer an opportunity to meet our Specialists in selected cities throughout Poland. You can check the current travel schedule of our experts below.
Advances Payment
DESA Unicum is the only company in Poland offering a full range of services in the field of art financing. With in-depth knowledge and know-how of the international art market, we can provide a timely and accurate valuation of your item and offer you tailor-made financing adjusted to your needs.
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Advance payment on commission sales
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Consumer loan
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Private sale
We believe that every collection deserves special care and that is why we provide the opportunity of private sale for art connoisseurs. It is a personalized sale of items from outside the auction offer allowing to supplement the collection with specific objects. This way you have a chance to acquire the work of art you dream about while keeping the transaction confidential.
Our knowledge and many years of experience allow us to effectively acquire objects on your behalf. We have close relations with the most important collectors, thanks to whom we have privileged access to rare and unique works of art.
We invite you to contact our Customer Advisors, who will inform you about the current opportunities to buy and sell. You can also check out our Frequently Asked Questions about Private Sales:
FAQ
We accept paintings, sculptures, jewellery, clocks, handicrafts, porcelain, silver, posters, original drawings, graphics, artistic photographs and other historical and unique items that may be of interest to collectors.
We also organise Jewellery auctions at DESA Unicum. Valuation and acceptance of items takes place every wednesday between 3pm and 7pm during the expert's on-call time. Any queries can be directed to our Expert via email: m.kus@desa.pl or the telephone:
+48 795 122 718
Yes. We offer conservation and restoration services, and replacement of painting frames and renovation of sculptures and objects of artistic craftsmanship. We make sure that the object goes on sale in the best possible condition because it will increase its chances for successful sale. For all these services, a fee is charged after the sale or when the work is picked up. Each element related to the improvement of the state of preservation of a given work of art is consulted with you individually. Our goal is to achieve the best possible selling price. Therefore, if we recommend that you carry out maintenance or replace the frame, please use our assistance and advice.
Before delivering a painting to DESA Unicum, do not remove it from the frame, clean it yourself or scratch off the display and auction stickers on the back. Damaged sculptures or porcelain should not be glued by yourself, silver should not be cleaned. Each object should be delivered in its original condition. Any necessary, cleaning or maintenance will be carried out by our specialists, if ordered.
We accept unframed works such as drawings, graphics and photographs for valuation. If they are qualified for sale, they must be framed because they cannot be put up for auction without a frame. Such a service can be ordered and performed through us.
The final date of accepting objects for a given auction is 5 weeks before it is planned. In exceptional cases, please contact the auction coordinator directly. Contact details can be found in the Auctions/Departments tab.
We will inform you about the likely date of the auction on which your object will appear after receiving a valuation from the Admissions Office. Our experts will make the decisions concerning the qualification of a work of art for auction. Thanks to constant monitoring of the market, knowledge of customers and selection of the optimal form and moment of auctioning, we obtain the best sales results.
What sets us apart from other auction houses is the fact that the assessment and estimation of the object's value by our Commission is free if you plan to auction the object in our auction house. The exception is the issuance of a valuation document for customs and tax purposes. Such a document is payable: 3% of the value of the object, but not less than PLN 100 net (PLN 123 gross).
In DESA Unicum we accept the objects intended for auctions in commission. If you are interested in selling for cash, not at an auction, we can contact you with a specialized company. We will ask you to send us the information and photos of the object at wyceny@desa.pl
Please contact the Young Art Auction Coordinator Karolina Kołtunicka by e-mail: k.koltunicka@desa.pl Please send an email and attach photos of your work (including information on technology and dimensions) and a few sentences about yourself, your career and your work. Due to the large number of applications, please do not deliver the works to us in person, without prior confirmation by the auction coordinator. Due to a very high interest we respond to selected e-mails.
We advertise each auction in advance and try to reach as many recipients as possible. You can find out about our auctions and events from the press, the Internet, television or radio. Before each auction we organize previews in our galleries. Your success and encouraging as many art connoisseurs as possible to buy is our priority. We prepare an auction catalogue for each auction with the utmost care. The publication is sent to several thousand of our clients and is also available on the Internet. Thanks to this, our offer reaches a wide range of customers, which allows us to achieve high prices during the auction.
Such a situation is extremely rare in DESA Unicum. However, if this happens, we still try to find an interested buyer. The item remains in our gallery offer for at least 30 days after the auction and we present it in direct conversations with customers. After that time, you can pick it up from us. It is also possible to put your item up for auction on the next relevant auction. It is the coordinator of a given project who decides about it and indicates when it will happen. We will inform you about your further qualification for the auction by e-mail.
The auction commission starts at 15%. The amount depends on the value of the object and the established conditions of permanent cooperation. The commission includes VAT, so you do not have to settle additional accounts with the Tax Office.
These issues are described in detail in the regulations. If the sale of a work of art is not your basic business and you have been in possession of it for more than 6 months, it is not necessary to show the revenue from the sale in your tax return. The situation is different when an artist sells his/her work.