New Orleans Auction Galleries

About New Orleans Auction Galleries

New Orleans Auction Galleries, commonly referred to as NOAG, is a prestigious auction house in the American South, offering fine art, antique and modern furniture, jewelry, silver, and decorative arts drawn from estates and private collections across the Gulf region and beyond. Over more than three decades, NOAG has established itself as a trusted leader known for exceptional offerings, personalized service, and consistently strong results. Its gallery and saleroom are located in the Arts District of New Orleans, home to many of the city's leading galleries, museums, and cultural institutions.

History

NOAG was built to serve New Orleans's long tradition of fine living and patronage of the arts, providing a local venue of national caliber for the dispersal of the city's and region's finest collections. In 2012, Houston businesswoman and philanthropist Susan D. Sarofim acquired the firm, bringing new investment and ambition while preserving its established identity and client relationships, and continuing to expand its reach and cataloguing capabilities.

Specialist departments

NOAG conducts seven major catalogued sales per year. The firm's particular strengths include:

• Southern art — paintings by artists associated with New Orleans, Louisiana, and the wider American South
• Continental and American furniture
• Antique and modern porcelain and art pottery
• Sterling and coin silver, and fine jewelry
• Decorative arts from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries

The firm's Modern and Contemporary Art and Design sale is a cross-category event that brings together international blue-chip artists alongside Southern regional painters and a range of nineteenth- and twentieth-century furniture and design. A team of in-house researchers and specialists supports rigorous provenance research, drawing on a proprietary reference library that is a hallmark of the firm.

Selling with NOAG

Prospective sellers can contact the firm by phone, email, or through the website to arrange a consultation and receive a complimentary evaluation. The team regularly travels throughout the Gulf South and beyond to evaluate collections in person, handling everything from single important lots to entire estates, and advises on auction timing, reserve pricing, and catalogue placement. Seller commissions are negotiated on a confidential, case-by-case basis.

Buying and bidding

Buyers pay a tiered buyer's premium, typically starting at 25 percent on the first portion of the hammer price, plus applicable Louisiana sales tax where required. Online bidding is available through the firm's website as well as Invaluable, LiveAuctioneers, and Bidsquare, with absentee and telephone bidding also accepted. High-resolution photography, detailed online cataloguing, and real-time streaming of live auctions support remote bidders.

What sets NOAG apart

What distinguishes New Orleans Auction Galleries from other regional houses is its deep knowledge of Southern art and decorative traditions, its access to the extraordinary estate wealth of the Gulf region, and the curatorial quality of its sales. NOAG has a particular eye for the intersection of fine art, decorative arts, and the history of taste in the American South, a nuanced specialty that no other auction house serves as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does NOAG specialize in?

Southern and international art, Continental and American furniture, jewelry, silver, porcelain, and decorative arts.

How do fees work at NOAG?

Buyers pay a tiered buyer's premium starting at approximately 25 percent; seller commissions are negotiated confidentially, case by case.

Can I bid online at NOAG?

Yes, on every sale, through the firm's website as well as Invaluable, LiveAuctioneers, and Bidsquare.