Christie's Is Using YouTube And Instagram To Advertise For Its Next Big Art Sale

Christie's has a storied history of blockbuster art sales that date all the way back to the 18th century.

But the auction house is taking a decidedly different direction with "If I Live I'll See You Tuesday," an auction being put on by the company's contemporary-art specialist, Loic Gouzer.

Rather than distribute traditional marketing materials, Gouzer is using his personal Instagram account (@loicgouzer) to give a sneak peek at what pieces will be for sale during the auction on May 12.

"Instagram is a great way to communicate. It's free, and there's that gray zone where you can put what you want without worrying about copyright," Gouzer said to Business Insider. "You're marketing the sale, but it's also a platform to express your own view. It's in flux with my own vision of things."

In this photo from Gouzer's account, you'll see a Picasso work in the foreground and Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Made in Japan I" in the back.

Here, he showcases a wall of flames by Wade Guyton.

An employee shows off Andy Warhol's "Little Electric Chair."

The turn to social media is an interesting one for the famous auction house.

"Instagram is more irreverent, more direct than traditional marketing. And for the younger generation, this is how they follow art and communicate," Gouzer said.

The photos can also give consumers a behind-the-scenes look at how an auction house prepares for a sale. The process has been highly secretive in the past, and, according to Gouzer, a piece of art can touch as many as 30 sets of hands before it's sold.

"There's this whole journey of artwork that people don't know about," he said.

The auction team decided to create a video that would give a closer look at the somewhat underground process. To give it an edge, they hired professional skateboarder Chris Martin to make his way through the warehouse in style, setting his journey to "Sail" by Awolnation.

Art buffs may cringe at the sight of Martin getting close to some of the more famous works.

"Art and acrobatics are not always associated together, but artists are taking a risk in their work every day," Gouzer said. "We've had the usual load of angry people, but that's typical when you're trying something new."

In the video, you'll see Martin skating past multimillion-dollar works of art.

Here, he jumps over a set of rugs.

He even turns the gallery into his own personal skate park.

The camera makes lots of quick movements to keep it interesting.

You can watch the whole video here.