My Days at Sotheby’s - confessions from inside an auction house

Before something completely snapped in my head and I decided to jump into the entrepreneurial side of the art world (still questionable… haha), I worked at Sotheby’s in London. People often ask me what it was like, and whether I got in thanks to my MA at Sotheby’s Institute. The honest answer: no. I landed the job a full year after finishing my master’s, through a regular application and interview — zero connections, zero “insider” help.

So today, I want to gently untangle what it’s really like to work at an auction house. Because while it definitely sounds glamorous, exciting, and culture-soaked… the reality comes with its own set of shadows.

This is just my personal experience. I left Sotheby’s in 2020, and a lot has changed since then.