Art and Algorithms at Sotheby’s | alum.mit.edu
Do fine art and high tech ever converge? At Sotheby’s they do, thanks to Kelly Shen ’17. Shen crafts digital infrastructure for the prestigious New York art auction house, endeavoring to make cutthroat bids seamless and discerning clients happy. “I love art and algorithms,” she says. As a staff software engineer, Shen works in the growing field of art intelligence: She builds algorithms to predict artwork prices using factors like an artist’s name, popularity, and exhibitions, as well as art buying trends and historical data. Her work has included everything from cataloging systems to early efforts around crypto transactions for high-value sales. At Sotheby’s, approximately 93 percent of bids happen online, and precise real-time systems are essential. One second of delay could cost thousands of dollars. “Once, we catalogued an old masters piece, estimated for $30,000. Upon research, it was by Pietro Bellotti, and the price jumped tenfold, selling for about 250,000 pounds. It makes a hu