Colnaghi

What Colnaghi does

Colnaghi is a London-headquartered commercial art gallery founded in 1760, recognized as the world's oldest continuously operating commercial art gallery. The firm operates four gallery locations in London (headquarters at 26 Bury Street, Mayfair), New York, Brussels, and Madrid, and runs four specialized departments — Old Masters, Antiquities (established 2017), 20th Century, and Drawings (via the Colnaghi Elliott Master Drawings partnership with Elliott Fine Art). Under Executive Director and owner Jorge Coll, with Carlos A. Picón (formerly curator of Greek and Roman art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) heading Antiquities, the business is privately held and structured around deep art historical expertise.

The firm generates revenue primarily through one-time sales of museum-quality fine art — antiquities (Egyptian, Pre-Columbian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Old Master paintings, drawings, sculpture, and 20th-century works — to high-net-worth private collectors and major museums and institutions. Go-to-market is white-glove enterprise field sales executed through gallery showrooms, bespoke advisory and provenance research, curated exhibitions, and participation in leading international art fairs including TEFAF Maastricht, BRAFA, Frieze Masters, Master Drawings New York, and Feriarte Madrid. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with individual artworks priced on enquiry.

Beyond core sales, Colnaghi has built a partnership ecosystem that extends its surface area: the Colnaghi & Factum partnership with Factum Foundation provides 3D scanning services to create digital passports for paintings, and the Colnaghi Foundation operates as a not-for-profit platform producing scholarship (Colnaghi Studies Journals) and public engagement. Customer acquisition is relationship-driven and long-cycle rather than digital or transactional, supported by 260+ years of brand recognition, a multi-channel presence (newsletter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube), and an online artworks marketplace enabling enquiry-driven discovery.

Name

Colnaghi

Legal name

Colnaghi UK Ltd

Website

https://colnaghi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1760

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colnaghi, founded in 1760 and recognized as the world's oldest commercial art gallery, operates galleries in London, New York, Brussels, and Madrid. It deals in museum-quality antiquities, Old Master paintings, drawings, and 20th-century works for high-net-worth collectors and major museums.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Art Dealership

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920), Art Dealers (45992)

akta.pro primary industry

Vintage & Antique Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

Keywords

• Fine art dealership
• Old Master paintings
• Art gallery services
• Antiquities sales
• Art advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Art Sales: Primary revenue from selling fine art including antiquities, Old Master paintings, drawings, sculpture, and modern art to collectors and institutions worldwide. Sales conducted through gallery showrooms and participation in prestigious art fairs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Colnaghi is a fine art dealership founded in 1760 dealing in antiquities, Old Master paintings, master drawings, and 20th century works. The firm sells, advises, and appraises artworks for private collectors, museums, and institutions through gallery exhibitions, art fairs, private treaty sales, and bespoke advisory services. It also offers a 3D Scanning Digital Passport authentication service in partnership with Factum Foundation.

Product overview

Colnaghi is a single, unified art gallery business rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Founded in 1760, it operates as the world's oldest commercial art gallery with galleries in London, New York, Madrid, and Brussels. The core offering includes the main art dealership (handling antiquities, Old Masters, drawings, and 20th Century works) supported by specialized departments and strategic partnerships: the Old Masters Department handles Renaissance and Baroque paintings; the Antiquities Department (established 2017) manages ancient world artifacts; the 20th Century Department covers modern art; Colnaghi Elliott Master Drawings handles works on paper through a partnership with Elliott Fine Art; and the Colnaghi & Factum partnership provides 3D scanning services for digital artwork documentation. The Colnaghi Foundation serves as a not-for-profit educational platform. An online artworks collection allows browsing and enquiry for available pieces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Antiquities Sales

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• Galerie Ary JansecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenter of 'Beyond the Threshold: Revisiting Orientalism II' exhibition at Colnaghi London.
• Kent AntiquessecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Co-presenter of 'Beyond the Threshold: Revisiting Orientalism II' exhibition at Colnaghi London.
• Artur RamonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Co-presenter of 'Everyday Poetry: Spanish Still Life Painting' exhibition at Colnaghi Madrid.
• Carlo BellasecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025Partnership for collaborative exhibition series examining African and European objects in dialogue. Second exhibition 'Fetish' follows 'Power Figures' and 'Fetish' examining African and European masterpieces together.
• Colnaghi Elliott Master DrawingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished partnership between Colnaghi and Elliott Fine Art, combining Colnaghi's tradition of handling significant works on paper with Elliott Fine Art's focus on lesser-known artists. The partnership undertakes multiple exhibitions annually across various locations.
• Colnaghi & FactumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Colnaghi and Factum Foundation making 3D scanning of painting surfaces accessible for custodians who wish to create digital passports of their artworks.
• Colnaghi FoundationcoreOthersNot-for-profit platform originating from Colnaghi with mission to foster appreciation of pre-twentieth century artworks and antiquities. Shares new research, exhibitions, and learning experiences through Colnaghi Studies Journals and web-based engagement.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hauser & Wirth: International gallery with locations across Europe and the Americas. Comparable as a peer enterprise-scale gallery handling high-value secondary-market and primary-market fine art for elite collectors and institutions.
• Sotheby's: Global auction house that handles the world's largest Old Master and antiquities transactions. Comparable because it operates in the same high-end fine art buyer/seller market with overlapping institutional and ultra-high-net-worth collector relationships.
• Gagosian: World's largest contemporary art gallery with a global network of exhibition spaces. Comparable as a peer global fine art gallery servicing ultra-high-net-worth collectors and museums with museum-quality works.
• David Zwirner: Leading international contemporary art gallery with multiple locations. Comparable as a peer globally distributed gallery whose blue-chip collector and institutional base overlaps with Colnaghi's.
• Pace Gallery: Major international gallery with multiple global locations. Comparable as a globally distributed fine art gallery serving collectors and museums at the top of the market.
• Christie's: Leading international auction house with major Old Master and antiquities departments. Directly comparable to Colnaghi in serving the same elite collector and museum segments with multi-million-dollar works.

Direct peers

• Thomas Agnew & Sons (Agnews): Long-established London-based Old Master dealer founded in 1817. Directly comparable to Colnaghi as a similarly historic specialist gallery focused on Old Master paintings, drawings, and museum-quality works.
• Rafael Valls: London gallery specializing in Old Master paintings with strong Spanish Old Master focus. Comparable to Colnaghi as a peer specialist Old Master dealer serving collectors and institutions, with overlapping exhibition programs.
• Moretti Fine Art: Specialist Old Master gallery active in London and at international art fairs. Comparable to Colnaghi in its category specialization (Old Masters and antique sculpture) and its position at the upper end of the secondary market.
• Trinity Fine Art: London-based gallery specializing in Old Master paintings and sculpture. Directly comparable to Colnaghi in category focus (Old Masters), client base (collectors and museums), and participation at major art fairs such as TEFAF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzp4QlCie9s7K8BFEbMvldA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Colnaghi1760
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colnaghi1760
• Instagraminstagram.com/colnaghi1760
• Xx.com/colnaghi1760

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colnaghi