Auction giant Christie’s is grappling with a significant setback as it fell victim to a cyber-attack, throwing its spring auctions into disarray.

Among the items slated for sale are treasures ranging from a coveted Vincent van Gogh painting, valued at $35m (£27.8m), to rare wines. However, potential buyers are finding themselves unable to look at these offerings on the Christie’s website, which has been rendered inaccessible due to the cyber-attack.

Notably, the sale of a collection of rare watches, including pieces once owned by Formula 1 luminary Michael Schumacher, has been postponed amidst the turmoil.

Christie’s has acknowledged the incident, labelling it a technology security incident.

Nonetheless, the auction house maintains that bids can still be placed through traditional means—over the phone and in-person.

The disruption remains a significant problem for Christie’s however, since according to them, 33% of new American bidders and buyers came to the company through its online platform. 

In an effort to mitigate the disruption, Christie’s has launched an alternative website where basic information about the items up for auction can be accessed.

The event, known as the Only Watch auction, raised a commendable 28 million Swiss Francs (£26.4 million) to support research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Looking ahead, Christie’s remains committed to its upcoming auctions. The New York leg of the sales is slated to commence on Tuesday, featuring works from the collection of art collector Rosa de la Cruz. The lineup includes art spanning the 20th and 21st centuries, with pieces from luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keefe, and Andy Warhol.

Despite the website outage, prospective buyers can still participate in the auctions through Christie’s Live service, ensuring that the bidding process continues.