Robert Manley shares advice on forecasting prices of artworks at auction

In this week’s episode of the ArtTactic Podcast, Robert Manley, formerly the deputy chairman of post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s and who will soon be joining Phillips auction house in a similar capacity, joins us to speak with us about his experiences participating in our ArtTactic Forecaster competition in which participants forecast prices of artworks upcoming at auction. Robert has given 2,650 predictions in the ArtTactic Forecaster game since May 2014 and he recently won the 2015-2016 Expert League season championship. First, Robert shares what initially drew him to ArtTactic Forecaster and what motivated him to leave so many forecasts. Then, Robert explains why giving forecasts then having the opportunity to review and analyze his performance improved his forecasting accuracy. Also, he reveals what he has learned about his forecasting abilities that has surprised him. Additionally, Robert offers some free advice on leaving accurate forecasts, in particular he emphasizes the importance of the low estimate figure. Lastly, Robert shares his commentary on the May contemporary sales as well as the state of the overall contemporary art market.