The Secret Life of Dorotheum

Listen … Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Rumor has it that new things are astir on Dorotheum’s Facebook page – strange, exciting things! The grapevine has it that similar changes can be observed on Dorotheum’s Instagram and Twitter feeds. In Vienna and around the world, people are talking. And: people are right!

What’s all the talk about? Dorotheum’s marketing team is taking a journey into the “secret life” of one of the world’s oldest auction houses, and they are inviting lovers of art and beautiful things everywhere to join them.

The Secret Life of Dorotheum Campaign

There’s more to the latest record-breaking art auction than just the paintings themselves. How do objects arrive at Dorotheum? What happens to them once Dorotheum has acquired them? What are auctions like behind the scenes, and what is everyday life like at central Europe’s leading auction house?

Extraordinary Glimpses of Ordinary Dorotheum

The “Secret Life of Dorotheum” campaign (hashtag: #SecretLifeOfDorotheum) aims to answer these questions and to shed light on daily life at Dorotheum. Starting with a series of timelapse videos that capture the daily crawl at Dorotheum at breakneck speed. Scroll down to see what the secret’s all about – and by all means, don’t hesitate to spread the word.

The #SecretLifeOfDorotheum, Part VI: The roof! Towering high above #Dorotheergasse in #Vienna’s #1stDistrict, #Dorotheum’s roof offers a breathtaking view of the city, including #StStephensCathedral. Careful – don’t lose your balance! #Dorotheum #timelapses #timelapsevideo #zeitraffervideo #1bezirk #1010Wien #spiegelgasse #cloudporn #skyscape #cityscape #HimmelÜberWien Ein von Dorotheum (@dorotheum) gepostetes Video am 22. Feb 2016 um 12:02 Uhr

The #SecretLifeOfDorotheum, Part V: café days! Where better to toast a winning bid or relax after a stroll in the showroom than in the café on the 2nd floor of the gallery? Order a Maria Theresa, a Tuscan salad and a slice of Sacher Torte and ascend to café heaven – Vienna style. #Dorotheum #timelapses #café #coffeehouse #kaffeehaus #kaffeehauskultur #MariaTheresa #SacherTorte #wienerkaffeehaus #Wien #Vienna #1bezirk #1010Wien #dorotheergasse #spiegelgasse

Ein von Dorotheum (@dorotheum) gepostetes Video am 16. Feb 2016 um 7:54 Uhr

The Secret Life of Dorotheum, Pt. 1: the busy, buzzing world of the auction house’s inner courtyard. #SecretLifeOfDorotheum #timelapses #courtyard #AuctionHouse #ArtAuctions #Auktionen #Auktionshaus #dorotheum #Wien #Vienna #1bezirk #1010Wien #Dorotheergasse #spiegelgasse

Ein von Dorotheum (@dorotheum) gepostetes Video am 4. Feb 2016 um 6:25 Uhr

The Secret Life of Dorotheum, Pt. 2: the showroom. There’s always something interesting to stumble onto here. Soon this space will again be brimming with bold contemporary art and excited auction-goers. For today, Mad Men-esque vintage double secretary desks will have to do. #SecretLifeOfDorotheum #timelapses #showroom #schaustellung #furniture #möbel #MadMen #AuctionHouse #ArtAuctions #Auktionen #Auktionshaus #dorotheum #Wien #Vienna #1Bezirk #1stDistrict #1010Wien Ein von Dorotheum (@dorotheum) gepostetes Video am 5. Feb 2016 um 8:13 Uhr

The Secret Life of Dorotheum, Pt. 4: staircase chase! 12 flights of 16 marble stairs each, with cast-iron balustrades spiralling down 7 floors of neo-classical magnificence … since 1901. Stare well at this stairwell – what comes into view? A game of pinball? A flower in bloom? A perpetuum mobile of stellar umbrellas? A viral spiral of red dots spinning, or just a social media team grinning? #SecretLifeOfDorotheum #timelapses #timelapsephotography #AuctionHouse #Auktionshaus #Staircase #stairs #Treppe #Wien #Vienna #1Bezirk #1stDistrict #1010Wien #1901 #PerpetuumMobile #treppen #spiral #spirale #SpiralStaircase Ein von Dorotheum (@dorotheum) gepostetes Video am 11. Feb 2016 um 2:22 Uhr

Bustling streets are nothing when your head’s in the clouds. #SecretLifeOfDorotheum #rooftop #Dorotheergasse #Vienna #Wien #1stDistrict #StStephansCathedral #Stephansdom #1bezirk #1010Wien #spiegelgasse #HochÜberDenDächern #cityscape #HimmelÜberWien #TimelapseVideo #TimelapsePhotography #Zeitraffer #Zeitraffervideo

Ein von Dorotheum (@dorotheum) gepostetes Video am 22. Feb 2016 um 12:51 Uhr

The #SecretLifeOfDorotheum, Part VII: gallery staircase. From archdukes in serge tunics and shiny black boots to artists sporting hoodies and Chucks, untold footsteps have echoed down these #MarbleStairs since #EmperorFranzJoseph I. inaugurated the building on November 12, #1901. The cool blue canvases by #HeimoZobernig were added more recently – just in time to jazz up our background. With stairs like these, who needs elevators? Watch for the answer in a #SecretLife to come! #wien #vienna #1Bezirk #1stDistrict #1010Wien #timelapses #TimelapsePhotograpy #Zeitraffer #Zeitraffervideo #gallery #galerie #stiege #treppe #stairs #staircase #AuctionHouse #Auktionshaus #dorotheum Ein von Dorotheum (@dorotheum) gepostetes Video am 24. Feb 2016 um 6:51 Uhr

Rise and shine. #SecretLifeOfDorotheum #boomerang #instavid #wien #vienna #auktionshaus #auctionhouse #bishop #bischof

Ein von Dorotheum (@dorotheum) gepostetes Video am 17. Feb 2016 um 1:12 Uhr

(Secret) Life Goes On

Watch for more #SecretLifeOfDorotheum posts on Dorotheum’s Facebook page and on our Instagram and Twitter feeds. And in the meantime, enjoy your own secret life!

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Bonus Video: Bike Tour of Dorotheum

Take a spin through Palais Dorotheum on the heels (and wheels) of a professional cyclist in this thrill ride of a promotional video for the “Bicycles from the Embacher Collection Auction” from May 2015.