The firm bags a second Scandinavian auction house as sector consolidation continues.
The firm has 12 departments, notably for Scandinavian art, and holds three types of auction: live, online and direct-to-consumer. Hard on the heels of last week’s announcement that it had bought the New England firm Skinner, the private equity-owned auction house Bonhams has notched up another buy. Bruun Rasmussen is a family firm, founded in 1949 by Arne Bruun Rasmussen; his son Jesper is chairman emeritus and two grandchildren work there.
The purchase means that Bonhams now owns two of the largest auction houses in Scandinavia after acquiring Sweden's Bukowskis in January 2022. Bonhams described ...
The addition of Bruun Rasmussen will enhance Bonhams’ European scale and increase digital capabilities to support further outreach across the Bonhams network.” A brand revered in Denmark, it is known and loved for its pioneering sales, particularly in Scandinavian art and design. I look forward to becoming a part of the journey going towards even bigger horizons, together with my children Alexa and Frederik. I am very proud of the fact our company will become a worldwide player through Bonhams.” The purchase means that Bonhams now owns two of the largest auction houses in Scandinavia after acquiring Sweden’s Bukowskis in January 2022. Bonhams was bought by private equity firm Epiris in 2018 and has adopted an active acquisition policy since then, especially in expanding into new territories. The acquisition means that this year Bonhams will hold over 400 specialist sales across 53 different categories.
The London-based auctioneer Bonhams is looking to strengthen its position as a global player in the market.
Founded in Copenhagen in 1948 by Arne Bruun Rasmussen, the Danish auction house is headquartered in the Nordhavn district of the capital city. “The addition of Bruun Rasmussen will enhance Bonhams’ European scale and increase digital capabilities to support further outreach across the Bonhams network. As part of its consolidation of control in the middle market, Bonhams today announced it has acquired the family-run Danish auctioneers Bruun Rasmussen for an undisclosed sum.