Farsettiarte
Farsettiarte is a family-owned Italian auction house and art gallery founded in 1955, operating from Prato, Milan, and Cortina d'Ampezzo to sell modern, contemporary, and ancient paintings, furniture, jewellery, and decorative arts to collectors across Italy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersPrato, Italy
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Farsettiarte does
Farsettiarte (legal name: Casa d'Aste Farsettiarte) is an Italian art gallery and auction house founded in 1955 in Prato by Frediano and Franco Farsetti. Today it remains family-owned under the leadership of Sonia, Stefano, Leonardo, and Cecilia Farsetti, operating across six specialized departments: Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Ancient paintings and furnishings, 19th–20th Century paintings and sculptures, Jewellery and watches, and Art of the Table. The company conducts traditional live auctions at its physical auction rooms while also running online-only timed auctions through its proprietary Fa Tempo platform and real-time remote bidding via Farsettiarte LIVE, both web-based systems accessible without software installation.
The business monetizes primarily through transactional auction commissions (buyer's premium on winning bids and seller's commissions on consignments), with supplementary revenue from annual catalogue subscriptions priced at €50–€180 and from private sales and appraisal services covering paintings, sculptures, furniture, jewellery, silver, and carpets. Three physical locations — Prato (headquarters, next to the Luigi Pecci Museum), Milan (Via Manzoni), and Cortina d'Ampezzo (seasonal) — anchor the distribution footprint, complemented by digital channels including the company website, email newsletter, and curated exhibitions.
Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on the firm's 70-year reputation, expert staff, and prestigious exhibitions to attract consignors and buyers. Notable recent sale outcomes include Picasso's 'Tête d'homme et nu assis' at €1,200,250, Burri's 'Nero Cretto' at €1,150,250, Morandi's 'Natura morta' at €736,150, and a Mantegna drawing at €509,650. Operating geography is Italy-only with no evidence of international expansion beyond European collector participation, and the firm holds no external investors, parent company, or public listing.
Farsettiarte firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Farsettiarte
- Legal name
- Casa d'Aste Farsettiarte
- Website
- https://farsettiarte.it
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Farsettiarte is a family-owned Italian auction house and art gallery founded in 1955, operating from Prato, Milan, and Cortina d'Ampezzo to sell modern, contemporary, and ancient paintings, furniture, jewellery, and decorative arts to collectors across Italy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Farsettiarte industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art Auction House
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (45992), Art Dealers (459920), Furniture and Home Furnishings Retailers (4491)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Jewelry, Watches, Precious Stones & Metals (5094)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pre-owned/Vintage Jewelry & Watch Retail (Resale) (CRAKAGAI), Vintage & Antique Furniture Retail (CRAIANAB)
Keywords
Where Farsettiarte is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Prato
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Farsettiarte business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Auction commissions: Farsettiarte charges buyer's premium on winning bids and likely seller's commissions on successful consignments. The company also provides advances on consignments for auction or private sale.
- Catalogue subscriptions: Annual subscriptions for catalogues covering different art categories (Antiquarian, Contemporary Art, Modern Art, or all catalogues combined).
- Private sales and appraisals: The company also makes acquisitions and provides appraisals of paintings, sculptures, drawings, furniture, carpets, jewellery, silver and other antiques, both for private sales and on behalf of third parties.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Antiquarian, Paintings and Sculptures of the 19th and 20th Century Catalogues |
| Subscription | Annual | Contemporary Art, Drawings, Paintings, Sculptures, Graphics Catalogues |
| Subscription | Annual | Complete Catalogue Subscription (all categories) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Farsettiarte product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Farsettiarte is an Italian auction house and art gallery that organises and conducts sales of fine art, antiques, jewellery, watches, and decorative art through live auctions, online real-time bidding (Farsettiarte LIVE), and timed online auctions (Fa Tempo). The company authenticates, values, and consigns works across six specialised departments (Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Ancient Paintings and Furnishings, 19th–20th Century Paintings and Sculptures, Jewellery and Watches, Art of the Table), charging buyer's premiums and seller's commissions while also selling annual catalogue subscriptions and offering complimentary preliminary estimates and advances on consignments.
Product overview
Farsettiarte operates as an auction house offering a dual-mode platform for art and antiques sales: Farsettiarte LIVE for real-time live auctions and Fa Tempo for online timed auctions. The company conducts auctions across six specialized departments—Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Ancient paintings and furnishings, 19th-20th century paintings and sculptures, Jewellery and watches, and Art of the Table—serving collectors and the art market with both live and online participation options. Ancillary services include artwork valuation, consignment, and catalog subscriptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Farsettiarte LIVE Real-time web-based bidding platform that lets registered users watch the live auctioneer, view lots, and place bids remotely during live auctions without installing software. Includes lot notifications and live bidding functionality, integrated with the My Farsetti member portal.
- Fa Tempo Timed Auctions Online-only timed auction system where bidding takes place over a fixed period. Participants can set maximum bid values, receive automatic bid escalations, and are notified by email when outbid. Accessible 24/7 during the auction period; requires registration and ID verification within 24 hours.
- Auction House Services Traditional and online auction sales of art, antiques, jewellery, watches, and decorative arts conducted across six specialised departments: Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Ancient Paintings and Furnishings, 19th–20th Century Paintings and Sculptures, Jewellery and Watches, and Art of the Table. Sales run on a twice-yearly schedule for Modern Art (May and November) and Ancient Paintings (April and November), with additional dedicated sales for Contemporary Art, Jewellery and Watches, and Art of the Table.
- Catalogue Subscriptions Annual subscriptions to printed and/or digital auction catalogues, available as Antiquarian and 19th–20th Century Paintings/Sculptures (€90 in Italy), Contemporary Art/Drawings/Paintings/Sculptures/Graphics (€50 in Italy), Modern Art, or a full all-categories package (€180 in Italy). Individual catalogues can also be purchased.
- Artwork Evaluation and Appraisal Service Complimentary, confidential preliminary valuation of artworks, antiques, jewellery, silver, and carpets submitted by prospective sellers (via photograph and description) to determine suitability for auction inclusion or private sale, conducted by Farsettiarte's specialist experts across the six departments.
- Consignment and Private Sale Services Acceptance of artworks, antiques, jewellery, silver, and carpets for sale via auction or direct private purchase. Includes the option for Farsettiarte to make cash acquisitions on its own account or on behalf of third parties and to provide advances on consignments.
Quantifiable outcome
- Pablo Picasso 'Tête d'homme et nu assis' sold for €1,200,250 (estimate €950,000-1,500,000)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Farsettiarte
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Farsettiarte technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Farsettiarte partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- A.N.C.A. (National Association of Italian Auction Houses)minorA.N.C.A. is a non-political, non-profit association of Italian auction houses constituted on January 30, 1995. It protects the image and development of the auction house category, safeguards interests, forges cooperative ties among members, harmonizes regulations, settles disputes through out-of-court settlements, and serves as an authoritative interlocutor with authorities. Farsettiarte President Sonia Farsetti was elected president of A.N.C.A. on February 11, 2002, a position renewed in February 2023 for another three years.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Farsettiarte competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Christie's: Global auction house with comprehensive fine art, jewellery, and decorative arts sales. Operates in the same auction house category as Farsettiarte but at multinational scale with category breadth that dwarfs mid-market Italian houses.
- Phillips Auctioneers: Global auction house with strong contemporary art, modern art, jewellery, and watches departments. Comparable category overlap with Farsettiarte's modern/contemporary and jewellery divisions, though at premium global scale.
- Bonhams: International auction house with significant fine art, antique furniture, jewellery, and watch sales. Comparable especially in antique furniture and decorative arts categories that overlap with Farsettiarte's offerings.
- Sotheby's: Global auction house headquartered in London/New York, conducting sales of fine art, jewellery, watches, and decorative arts. Comparable in core auction house business model and category coverage, but operates at vastly larger scale with global reach.
Direct peers
- Artcurial: Paris-based French auction house covering fine art, jewellery, watches, and decorative arts with both live and online auctions. Comparable as a European mid-market auction house with multi-category sales and digital bidding infrastructure.
- Il Ponte Casa d'Aste: Milan-based Italian auction house handling modern and contemporary art, antiques, and decorative arts. Comparable family-led Italian auction house with similar category coverage and consignment-based model.
- Dorotheum: Vienna-based European auction house founded in 1707, covering old masters, modern/contemporary art, jewellery, and antiques. Comparable as a long-established European mid-to-large auction house with multi-category coverage and an auction cadence model.
- Pandolfini Casa d'Aste: Florence-based Italian auction house founded in 1924, conducting sales of fine art, antiques, jewellery, and watches. Most directly comparable as a family-run Italian auction house of similar scale with multi-category departments and a similar domestic Italian footprint.
- Wannenes Art Auctioneer: Milan/Geneva-based Italian auction house specialising in modern and contemporary art, antiques, and jewellery. Directly comparable multi-category Italian auction house with both live and online bidding capabilities.
- Finarte: Milan-based Italian auction house operating across modern and contemporary art, antiques, jewellery, and watches with online bidding. Closely comparable in scale, structure, and multi-department focus to Farsettiarte.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Farsettiarte social profiles
Digital presenceFarsettiarte financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Farsettiarte leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Farsettiarte funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Farsettiarte M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Farsettiarte
What does Farsettiarte do?
Farsettiarte is an Italian auction house and art gallery that organises and conducts sales of fine art, antiques, jewellery, watches, and decorative art through live auctions, online real-time bidding (Farsettiarte LIVE), and timed online auctions (Fa Tempo). The company authenticates, values, and consigns works across six specialised departments (Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Ancient Paintings and Furnishings, 19th–20th Century Paintings and Sculptures, Jewellery and Watches, Art of the Table), charging buyer's premiums and seller's commissions while also selling annual catalogue subscriptions and offering complimentary preliminary estimates and advances on consignments.
Is Farsettiarte a public or private company?
Farsettiarte is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Farsettiarte founded?
Farsettiarte was founded in 1955. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Farsettiarte based?
Farsettiarte is headquartered in Prato, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Farsettiarte make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Auction commissions are the primary driver. The others are catalogue subscriptions and private sales and appraisals.
Who are Farsettiarte's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Christie's, Phillips Auctioneers, Bonhams and Sotheby's. Direct peers are Artcurial, Il Ponte Casa d'Aste, Dorotheum, Pandolfini Casa d'Aste, Wannenes Art Auctioneer and Finarte.
Does Farsettiarte have an API?
No public API is recorded for Farsettiarte.
What industry is Farsettiarte in?
Farsettiarte's product category is Art Auction House. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAKAF, Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry), with a secondary code of CRAKAGAI, Pre-owned/Vintage Jewelry & Watch Retail (Resale). Its NAICS code is 45992 and its SIC code is 5094.