Piasa
Piasa is a Paris-based French auction house conducting live and online sales in Design, Modern & Contemporary Art, Jewelry & Watches, and Belgian Art for private collectors and estates, earning revenue through buyer's premiums via its proprietary Onlive bidding platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Piasa does
Piasa is a French auction house headquartered in Paris that conducts sales across multiple collecting categories, including Design, Modern & Contemporary Art, Jewelry & Watches, and Belgian Art. The firm serves private collectors, estates, and institutions through live auction events held at its Paris headquarters and Brussels international venue, with a proprietary online bidding platform branded 'Onlive' that extends bidder reach beyond physical rooms. The Design department — established in 2013 — is the largest vertical and recorded €35 million in sales volume in 2023. Recent sales have introduced new specialist sub-verticals such as Brazilian Design, Finnish Lighting, and American Design, indicating active category expansion within Design.
Piasa operates under French auction law with professional approval 2001-020 and a stated share capital of €5,003,297.50. Revenue is earned primarily through buyer's premiums (commissions) applied to hammer prices, with no disclosed external funding and a headcount of 11–50 employees. The firm is privately held and has reported 12% growth in H1 2026 versus H1 2025. Operational footprint is being scaled through a 2026 relocation to a new headquarters at 54 rue de Monceau, La Plaine Monceau, Paris, alongside the continuing Brussels international venue and the Onlive digital channel.
Piasa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Piasa
- Legal name
- PIASA SA
- Website
- https://piasa.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Piasa is a Paris-based French auction house conducting live and online sales in Design, Modern & Contemporary Art, Jewelry & Watches, and Belgian Art for private collectors and estates, earning revenue through buyer's premiums via its proprietary Onlive bidding platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Piasa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art and Design Auction Services
- NAICS
- Jewelry Retailers (458310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry) (CRAKAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Estate, Gift & Trust Valuation (BPAHANAL), Luxury Retail & Clienteling (Boutiques/Omnichannel) (CRAKAFAM)
Keywords
Where Piasa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Piasa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Auction commissions: Piasa earns revenue through commissions charged on successful auction sales, acting as intermediary between sellers and buyers. The company operates as a voluntary auction house under French law, providing cataloguing, valuation, and sales services for art, design, jewelry, and collectibles.
- Seller services: Free and confidential appraisals and estimates are offered to attract consignments. The company provides estimation services, logistics coordination for furniture storage, transport and customs management.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | — | Buyer's fees and taxes added to hammer price |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Piasa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Piasa is a French voluntary auction house that conducts scheduled catalogued sales of art, design, jewelry, watches, and decorative objects through four specialist departments (Design, Modern and Contemporary Art, Jewelry and Watches, and Belgian Modern and Contemporary Art). Sales are held in-person at its Paris headquarters and the Royal Ice Rink in Brussels, with remote participation enabled through the Onlive online bidding platform. The company also offers free confidential appraisal and estimation services to attract consignments, alongside furniture storage, transport, and customs management.
Product overview
Piasa operates as an auction house with a multi-category platform offering auction services across design, modern and contemporary art, jewelry and watches, and Belgian art. The company is organized into specialized departments including Design (established 2013), Modern and Contemporary Art, Jewelry and Watches, Belgian Modern and Contemporary Art, and an Onlive Department for online sales. The Design department serves as an international benchmark with over 20 catalogued sales annually, while the company hosts exclusive regional sales in Brussels and offers both in-person and online auction participation through its Onlive platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- €35 million in sales achieved by Design department in 2023
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Piasa
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Piasa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Piasa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Agnès Renoult CommunicationminorPR agency handling press relations for Piasa. Contact: +33 (0)1 87 44 25 25
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Piasa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Phillips: Specialist auction house with strong positioning in design and contemporary art auctions. Closest direct comparable to Piasa's Design department model and department-led auction strategy.
- Cornette de Saint-Cyr: Paris-based auction house with modern/contemporary art and design departments. Comparable scale, geography, and category mix to Piasa.
- Aguttes: Independent French auction house headquartered in Paris, offering comparable departments in modern/contemporary art, design, and luxury. Direct competitor for French collectors and consignors.
- Artcurial: Paris-based auction house operating across fine art, luxury, design and jewelry. Competes directly with Piasa for French collectors, Belgian consignors, and department-level specialists.
- Millon: Paris-based auction house operating across art, design, and luxury categories. Competes with Piasa for French collectors and estate consignments.
- Tajan: French auction house specializing in fine art, design, and luxury items. Direct French-market competitor with similar category breadth.
Broad incumbents
- Christie's: Global auction house with comparable departments in design, modern and contemporary art, and jewelry/watches. Operates at much larger scale but shares the same auction intermediation business model and consignor/buyer ecosystem.
- Bonhams: International auction house with design, modern art, and jewelry/watch departments. Comparable multi-category structure and intermediation model.
- Sotheby's: Major international auction house with overlapping categories including design, contemporary art, and luxury watches/jewelry. Direct competitor for high-end consignments and global collector relationships.
Regional players
- Dorotheum: Vienna-based European auction house with design and fine art auctions. Operates a comparable multi-department auction model across European markets, though geographically distinct from Piasa's Paris-Belgium core.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Piasa social profiles
Digital presencePiasa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Piasa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Piasa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Piasa 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 Piasa
What does Piasa do?
Piasa is a French voluntary auction house that conducts scheduled catalogued sales of art, design, jewelry, watches, and decorative objects through four specialist departments (Design, Modern and Contemporary Art, Jewelry and Watches, and Belgian Modern and Contemporary Art). Sales are held in-person at its Paris headquarters and the Royal Ice Rink in Brussels, with remote participation enabled through the Onlive online bidding platform. The company also offers free confidential appraisal and estimation services to attract consignments, alongside furniture storage, transport, and customs management.
Is Piasa a public or private company?
Piasa is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Piasa founded?
Piasa was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Piasa based?
Piasa is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Piasa make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Auction commissions are the primary driver. The others are seller services.
Who are Piasa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Phillips, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, Aguttes, Artcurial, Millon and Tajan. Broad incumbents are Christie's, Bonhams and Sotheby's. Dorotheum is listed as a regional player.
Does Piasa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Piasa.
What industry is Piasa in?
Piasa's product category is Art and Design Auction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAKAF, Auction Houses (Luxury Watches & Jewelry), with a secondary code of BPAHANAL, Estate, Gift & Trust Valuation. Its NAICS code is 458310.