Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Maria Sancho Arroyo

Second Advisor

Betsy Thomas

Abstract

The purpose of my thesis is to tell and enlighten any readers how the most prestigious and iconic auction house in the world, RM Sotheby’s sells more than just cars from the high-end car market and how the auction house adds value to through storytelling and provenance from each vehicle.  In today’s luxury market economics, we see somewhat of a radical shift. The high-end car market has moved into a very refined area where these beautiful machines are no longer seen and appraised just for their aesthetic design and mechanical engineering, now we see new value drivers for these works of art, such as their narrative, symbolic and emotional dimensions, I always tell people, cars are much more than just transport. These cars that at first were only utilitarian have been moving to a position where they are now seen as cultural artifacts that needless to say, sometimes are auctioned at prices that rival the blue-chip works of art, like old master’s paintings. We have seen this evolution at the highest level of auction houses like RM Sotheby’s where the cars are not only presented and curated as objects of desire but they are well taken care of and sometimes even restored. I maintain that these cars are not only auctioned or sold, they are celebrated, historied and put into context through unique narratives and stories that combine social prestige, unique design history, identity and of course heritage. The objective of my thesis is to investigate how the most famous auction house RM Sotheby´s develops and increases value not only by the car’s aesthetics and other attributes like the condition or the rarity or 0-60 times, but through a very planned deployment of storytelling, from a more sentimental value stance. These stories go deep in rich provenance, cultural association and historical relevance, each car consigned with RM Sotheby’s, tells a unique story, all this plays a fundamental role in building buyer awareness and that is how the prices surge. Every component in the puzzle becomes a narrative of symbolic meaning. Once the buyer acquires the car, the first thing that they tell with great enthusiasm and pride, is the story behind that car, just like in fine art, needless to say, it probably took them years to track down. Each car consigned with RM Sotheby’s is already a story of great depth and significance.

Download

Share

COinS