DIC Plans Sale of Owned Works of Art via International Auction — The Company will partner with auction house Christie's —

Further to its timely disclosure document of December 26, 2024, titled “Final Report on the Results of the Review of Operation of the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art and Policy on Future Operation,” DIC Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takashi Ikeda) announced today that it has resolved to sell a number of the works of art it owns via international auction, and that it has selected global auction house Christie’s, headquartered in London, England, to facilitate the sale and will proceed with necessary arrangements. Details are outlined below.

As announced in the aforementioned timely disclosure document, after an extensive review that weighed the positioning of the museum’s operation in terms of both social and economic value, DIC made the decision to downsize the museum and to relocate it to Tokyo. On March 12, 2025, the Company announced an agreement to collaborate with the International House of Japan—a pioneer in private diplomacy and international cultural exchange—beginning with the visual arts and architecture. As part of the downsizing and relocation process, the Company thoroughly examined how best to handle the 384 works of art in the museum’s collection that it owns, taking into account its future collaboration with the International House of Japan, as well as the changes in the exhibition environment from the museum’s original venue in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture.

This involved looking at these works of art not only as economic assets that DIC owns as a corporate entity but also as cultural assets that it holds on behalf of society as a whole, thereby ensuring that appropriate consideration was accorded to their value from that perspective. As a result, the Company determined that it would reduce the number of works it owns to around 100—about one quarter of the current total—focusing on retaining those that particularly embody DIC’s identity, and began exploring concrete strategies for divesting the remaining approximately 280 works.

As a result, approximately 80 important works among those designated for sale will be consigned to Christie’s, the auction house selected by the Company, for international auction, of which around 20 that are particularly renowned and have high economic value will be featured at Christie’s auction from mid-November 2025 in New York. The works not consigned to Christie’s will be sold gradually, using channels other than through auction, with the intention of completing all sales by December 2026.

DIC chose auction as the sales channel for the aforementioned 80 important works of art, not only because this provides a rational means of promptly divesting these works, but also because it ensures fairness by allowing broad participation in the sale from interested parties worldwide, including in Japan. After carefully examining proposals from a number of global auction houses, the Company opted to partner with Christie’s, seeing it as being the most capable of enhancing the economic value of these works, such as through effective marketing and PR strategies. DIC and Christie’s look forward to this auction providing a fair and valuable opportunity for acquisition to many art enthusiasts, and expect a wide and favorable response.

In the timely disclosure document of December 26, 2024, mentioned above, DIC also announced plans to begin selling a number of owned works of art before the end of fiscal year 2025, with the aim of generating at least ¥10 billion in cash inflow. The Company has secured a guarantee deal for the collection, and it is confident it will adhere to its commitment. However, owing to the nature of auctions, forecasts regarding the final amount and timing of cash generated, as well as the financial impact thereof, are fluid and subject to uncertainties. Accordingly, DIC is refraining from announcing any details at this time. Should the need to disclose any information arise, the Company will promptly issue notification.

For details on the Christie’s auction scheduled for mid-November 2025 in New York, please refer to the following press release issued today by Christie’s.

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Related timely disclosure documents and press releases

‐About DIC Corporation
DIC Corporation is one of the world’s leading fine chemicals companies and the core of the DIC Group, a multinational organization comprising over 170 companies, including Sun Chemical Corporation, in more than 60 countries and territories. The DIC Group is recognized as a global leader in the markets for a variety of products essential to modern lifestyles, notably packaging materials, display materials such as those used in television and computer displays, and high-performance materials for smartphones and other digital devices, as well as for automobiles. Through such products, the Group endeavors to deliver safety and peace of mind, and color and comfort, to people everywhere. The DIC Group also seeks to contribute to a sustainable society by developing innovative products that respond to social change and which help address social imperatives. With annual consolidated net sales exceeding ¥1 trillion and 21,000-plus employees worldwide, the Group pledges to continue working in close cooperation with its customers wherever they are. For more information, please visit the DIC global website.