Ihope I’m not giving away any secrets here: For the last few years, Christie’s has maintained an excellent espresso bar in the lobby at its global headquarters, which has been at Rockefeller Center since 1997. So what? A cafe in an auction house isn’t all too unusual. There was a Sant Ambroeus in the old Sotheby’s HQ. Art people like coffee.

What makes this coffee bar unique is that it’s free. Not just to clients who are coming to meet with their specialist, or to rich guys ready to produce a bank statement with a long line of digits—it’s free to anyone. Christie’s is open to the public. If you decide to go see some of the more than $736 million worth of art Christie’s is selling this week before it gets redistributed to homes and yachts and freeports all over the world, you can also ge

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