Sotheby’s Offers Free Valuations to English Councils, Raising Suspicion

Sotheby’s has been quietly writing to English councils, offering free valuations of their top five artworks, according to the Financial Times—a generous-sounding move that critics say smells like a prelude to a public-sector fire sale.In a letter sent by the auction house’s Tax, Heritage and UK Museums division, the pitch was framed as obligation-free. But attached were case studies of past sales. The subtext? “Ever think about how much that Lowry gathering dust in s