Ancient a 1nd Modern
| The Magazine | 09
Christies unites the two
in its international publishing operation
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|MAGAZINES|
F
ounded in 1766, ChristieÕs is one of the worldÕs foremost auction houses, with 85 ofÞces in 43 countries around the world.
Its focus is on selling works of art that were created
through the centuries and its publishing team does its
part using very latest technology.
The company holds over 600 auctions every year,
featuring everything from Þne and decorative arts, to
jewellery, photographs, memorabilia and more. A key
component to a successful auction lies in the production
of quality support materials in the form of publicity materials, photography and, of course, the
auction catalogue.
platform that would serve our needs for the future,Ó explains Neil.
Together with its DALiM TWiST systems, ChristieÕs implemented XinetÕs WebNative digital asset management
(DAM) system, using GroupLogicÕs MassTransit managed Þle transfer system to reliably handle Þle distribution. Dalim Software integration partners Turning Point
Innovation (in London) and IO Integration (in the USA)
worked closely together with each other, as well as with
ChristieÕs, for this unique transatlantic system deployment.
A key requirement for the system was the
accurate handling of colour. ÒAs you can
imagine, considering our business and the
products that are up for auction, accurate
colour rendition is of paramount importance. Our core business is very specialist
and it is important that we can illustrate
the full impact of the Òtactile artefactsÓ of
a piece in the printed catalogue.Ó As a
result, Christies works to the ISO standard
and produces DALiM TWiST-generated
PDF Þles according to the FOGRA 39 colour space speciÞcation. ÒOur computer
monitors are colour-calibrated and rechecked (and recalibrated, if necessary) on a
weekly basisÓ, Neil adds. All catalogue
printing is currently handled by a number
of key UK-based printing companies, before being shipped out around the world.
ÒWe produce a catalogue to support
every ChristieÕs auctionÓ, says Neil McCutcheon, Head of Catalogue Production.
ÒA catalogue can run to anything from 80
up to 800 pages, with an average page
count of about 180. With more than 600
catalogues a year, that equates to more
than 80,000 pages each year with a total
print run of over two million catalogues.Ó
During the peak season, NeilÕs team could
be producing up to 25 catalogues per
week. ChristieÕs employs more than 30
people at its two pre-media hubs in New
York and London that, together, produce
almost all of the catalogues for ChristieÕs
auctions worldwide. In addition, ChristieÕs
have recently launched an online Ôe-catalogueÕ initiative, designed to support the
print-based version.
Every item sold at ChristieÕs is photographed digitally in-house by ChristieÕs team
of photographers. In fact, ÔChristieÕs ImagesÕ is a separate picture library company, creating more than 200,000 unique quality, highresolution images every year.
As a commercial investment, Neil has no reservations in
recommending the system. ÒWe have seen considerable
savings - both in terms of better use of staff and outsourced services, as well as reduced errors and greatly
increased productivity. In ROI terms, we comfortably
covered our investment in less than the scheduled two
years. However, much more importantly, we see the system evolving further to become the base of a platform
of services that will enable ChristieÕs to reach out and
better serve our clients Ð both buyers and sellers Ð going
forward.Ó
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The Magazine | 09 |
With quality, ease-of-use and high-productivity at the
core of the requirements for an automated system to
generate press-quality, colour-managed PDF Þles, a
comprehensive DALiM TWiST - based system was deployed Þrst in ChristieÕs New York facility, before being
replicated in the London location. ÒWe decided to invest in DALiM TWiST because our previous system was
proving to be too costly and ultimately failed to address
the changing needs of the business. We needed a ßexible, scalable system that could grow with us and that,
together with our asset management and other allied
systems, could form the base of a modern publishing
Neil enthuses about the new system. ÒThe
differences between the Dalim Softwarebased system and our previous system
couldnÕt be greater. Jobs are now produced much faster, meaning that production
deadlines can be pushed farther than
ever. The reliability of the system has been
excelent, and the quality of the colourmanaged PDF Þles that we produce, whether here in
London or over in our New York facility, have been of a
consistently high standard.Ó
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