The National Museum’s library holds a large collection of printed auction catalogues from several Norwegian, Nordic, European, and American auction houses. Some of the oldest catalogues in our collection date back to the early 19th century.

The auction catalogues are catalogued in our library database, Oria. As a general rule, they are not catalogued individually by auction, but by searching for the name of the auction house, you can see which years we have catalogs from. In addition, we have a separate archive for auctions of private collections (often estate sales).

Auction Catalogues from Norwegian Auction Houses

Many auction houses are now shifting to digital platforms for publishing catalogues and auction results – this also applies to Norwegian auction houses. The National Museum’s library collection includes printed auction catalogues from the following auction houses. Please note that the collection is not complete.:

Click the links for each auction house to view the digital catalogs.

Reference Works and Price Indexes

The National Museum’s library holds several important reference works and indexes related to the sale of art:

  • Lugt, Frits. Répertoire des catalogues de ventes publiques : intéressant l'art ou la curiosité... 4 b. (B. 1: 1600–1825, B. 2: 1826–1860, B. 3: 1861–1900, B. 4: 1901–1925). Haye: Nijhoff, 1938-1987.
  • Kunsthusets prisindeks 1985-1988: Skandinavisk kunst solgt ved auksjoner i Norge. Oslo: Kunsthuset – Kunstutsmykning, 1988-1997.
  • Mayer: International auction records: Prints, drawings, watercolors, paintings, sculpture. New York: Archer Fields, 1992-2003.
  • Abonnement på databasen Artprice, the world leader in Art market information.
  • The Getty Research Institute provides a helpful overview of how to research historical and current art prices: Appraisals Research Guide (Getty Research Institute).

Digitized auction catalogs, freely accessible online

  • The Danish Art Library has digitized and made accessible all Danish auction catalogues from 1719 to 1920: Art history collections.
  • Heidelberg University has digitized its collection of auction catalogues and created a feature that allows users to search for catalogues from a specific year between 1781 and 1987: UB Heidelberg Auction Catalogs. They have also developed a search page where one can browse auction houses (sorted by country and city): Auction Catalogues – digitized. There is also a full-text search available for those who do not know the date or location of the auction.
  • The Bibliothèque Nationale de France’s digital library, Gallica, has digitized French auction catalogs from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries: Gallica. Search tips: Auction catalogues are called Catalogue de vente in French. You can narrow your search using the filters on the left.

Read more about provenance research and auction catalogues

Photo: Nasjonalmuseet / Ina Wesenberg