Sotheby's is an international auction house founded in London in 1744 by bookseller Samuel Baker, making it one of the world's oldest and largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewelry, and collectibles. It moved its North American headquarters to Manhattan's Upper East Side in 1980 and today conducts auctions, private sales, and related financial services across roughly 80 locations in 40 countries. The company went private in 2019 when Patrick Drahi acquired it for $3.7 billion, with Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund later taking a minority stake in 2024. In 2020 Sotheby's surpassed rival Christie's in worldwide auction sales for the first time since 2011.