Why I’m Renaming This Newsletter 'The Underbidder'
Because Artists Auctions Insights was a mouthful
When I started this newsletter six months ago, I chose a functional name so I could focus on writing rather than branding. Since then, it’s become clearer what I actually want to write about and what is easier to communicate.1
There are plenty of thoughtful voices writing about technique, theory, and art history. What interests me more is how the art market behaves in practice: what prices are being paid, what collectors are buying, and what the data tells us about artists, categories, and trends.
What follows is a more refined version of the vision for this newsletter and the thinking behind its new name.
For Collectors
The Underbidder is written for collectors, particularly those early in their collecting journey, who want clearer, more practical insight into the market. Each edition aims to make the art market more accessible by explaining artists and their work in plain language, exploring price points and momentum, sharing market-level trends drawn from auction data, and offering buying ideas across subject, style, and period.
For the Industry
Alongside this, the newsletter provides independent, data-driven analysis of the secondary market, combining results across leading auction houses. The goal is to offer an unbiased view of how the market is evolving that is useful to collectors and industry participants alike. While many publications cover the global art market, there remains relatively limited analysis focused specifically on New Zealand and Australia.
Why The Underbidder
The name change comes from the idea of the underbidder: the collector who understands value, knows when enthusiasm is justified, and knows when to stop bidding. In a market that can often feel opaque or emotional, The Underbidder is about clearly understanding the value of art before the hammer falls.
You can always find this Substack by navigating to www.theunderbidder.net wherever you browse the internet.
Next week, I’ll be publishing a comprehensive review of the New Zealand art auction market in 2025. If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to subscribe so you don’t miss it.
It’s much easier to tell someone to follow The Underbidder than to recommend something called Artists Auctions Insights.