christies sale david hockney christopher isherwood 1234752644

Christie’s will offer David Hockney’s double portrait *Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy* (1968) as a marquee lot in its 20th-century evening sale in New York this November. The painting depicts the English writer Christopher Isherwood and his American artist partner Don Bachardy in their Santa Monica home, and is the first of Hockney’s seven double portraits. No estimate has been announced. The work was previously featured in the “David Hockney 25” survey at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris and in a 2017–18 Hockney retrospective that traveled from Tate Britain to the Centre Pompidou and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

phillips nets lean 52 million in new york led by basquiat that david bowie bought for 93000 2644336

Phillips’s Modern and contemporary art evening sale in New York totaled $52 million, a sharp decline from $86.3 million last year. Four lots were withdrawn before the sale, including works by Pablo Picasso and Jasper Johns, and five lots failed to sell, yielding an 86% sell-through rate (78% including withdrawals). The hammer total of $41.8 million fell below the pre-sale low estimate of $52.3 million. Notable sales included a Basquiat piece once owned by David Bowie, which sold for $6.59 million (Bowie bought it in 1995 for $93,400), and a Kiki Kogelnik painting that set a new artist record at $356,000. Five auction records were set overall, including for Ilana Savdie, Olga de Amaral, Grace Hartigan, and James Turrell.

who was l s lowry british painter auction 2640506

L.S. Lowry's painting *Going to the Mill* (1925) sold for just over £800,000 ($1 million) at Mall Galleries in London on May 2, after being acquired in 1926 for only £10. The sale underscores Lowry's enduring market appeal, though it falls short of his auction record of £5.6 million set in 2011 for *The Football Match*. The article profiles Lowry, a 20th-century British painter known for his bleak industrial cityscapes filled with anonymous figures, and explores why he remains a beloved but often overlooked figure in the art world.

christies h1 2025 auction sales report 1234747544

Christie’s announced a projected sales total of $2.1 billion for the first half of 2025, matching its H1-2024 figure. While art categories like Impressionist, modern, and Old Masters saw modest growth—Old Masters sales rose 15% to $55 million—luxury categories (handbags, watches, cars, jewelry) surged nearly 30% to $468 million, now accounting for 22% of the total. Notable sales included René Magritte’s *La reconnaissance infinite* (1933) for £10.3 million and Piet Mondrian’s *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Grey, Yellow, Black, and Blue* (1922) for $46.7 million. Guaranteed lots remained low at 1.5%, and the sell-through rate held steady at 88%.

Lost John Constable Painting Rediscovered in Texas Bound for Auction

Lost John Constable Painting Rediscovered in Texas Bound for Auction

A long-lost, large-scale oil study by John Constable for his famous painting *The Cornfield* has been rediscovered and authenticated after decades in a rural Texas museum. Scientific analysis, including pigment tests and infrared reflectography, confirmed the materials and techniques match Constable's own, leading experts to declare it the largest known study for the 1826 masterpiece. The work, which had been mistakenly cataloged as a copy, will now be auctioned by Heritage Auctions in Dallas this June.

phillips leadership changes 2025 1234742638

Phillips announced a major leadership shakeup on Monday, with global chairwoman Cheyenne Westphal resigning after eight years. Robert Manley was named chairman of modern and contemporary art, and Miety Heiden was appointed chairman of private sales. Additionally, Jean-Paul Engelen, president for the Americas and worldwide co-head of modern and contemporary art, is leaving after over a decade to join Acquavella Galleries as a director. The changes follow a challenging marquee auction season, where the May evening sale matched its pre-sale estimate of $52 million but fell 40% below the previous year's $86 million haul.

big questions art basel 2656782

Art Basel, the flagship art fair, returns to Basel, Switzerland from June 17 to 22 amid a period of market contraction and geopolitical instability. The article explores key questions surrounding the fair, including whether the proliferation of new Art Basel editions in Paris and Doha is diluting interest in the original Swiss event. Gallerists and collectors weigh in, noting that while Paris is rising in importance, Basel retains unmatched prestige and draws a genuinely engaged international audience. The piece also highlights the fair's new "Premiere" section, which spotlights mid-career and established artists, featuring London gallery Edel Assanti's debut presentation of American artist Lonnie Holley.

asian artists under 35 are doing at auction 2649912

A new analysis by The Asia Pivot reveals that total global auction sales for Asian artists born between 1990 and 1999 dropped to $9.7 million in 2024, the lowest level in three years. The market for these young artists shows clear signs of cooling, with 696 lots sold out of 1,128 offered, a 62% sell-through rate, and an average price per lot falling 26.5% year-over-year to $13,905. Top-ranked artists like Raghav Babbar and Anna Park saw steep price declines, while a few consistent performers like Yukimasa Ida, Sun Yitian, and Chris Huen Sin-Kan maintained strong market recognition.

The Hole Gallery Sued Over Unpaid Back Rent

The Hole, a prominent contemporary art gallery founded by Kathy Grayson, has shuttered its West Hollywood location amid a wave of legal and financial troubles. Court filings reveal that the gallery faces multiple lawsuits for unpaid rent and real estate taxes across its Los Angeles and Manhattan outposts, with debts totaling over $180,000. Beyond real estate disputes, the gallery has been dogged by allegations of financial instability and delinquent payments to artists, including a 2019 lawsuit from artist Dan Lam regarding unpaid sales and damaged works.

‘Sometimes you just have to go for it’: as others close, Ben Hunter expands his London gallery

London art dealer Ben Hunter is bucking the trend of gallery closures by expanding his gallery into a full townhouse at 44 Duke Street in St James’s, set to open this October. Hunter, who previously worked for Old Master dealer Derek Johns and sculpture specialist Robert Bowman, founded his gallery in 2018 and has gradually taken over more space in the building as other tenants left. The historic townhouse was originally where Jay Jopling launched White Cube in 1993. Hunter cites the need to match the ambition of his artists and seize opportunities as key reasons for the expansion, despite the challenging market.

A Rosso for the Metropolitan

Un Rosso pour le Metropolitan

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has acquired a painting by Rosso Fiorentino, a master of Italian and French Mannerism, after restoration revealed an earlier overpaint that had obscured the composition. The work, a Virgin and Child, now shows Saint John the Evangelist in the foreground at right, confirming it as an original by the artist.

phillips modern contemporary art auction report francis bacon 1234762505

Phillips held its modern and contemporary evening sale in New York on Wednesday, following Christie’s and Sotheby’s auctions that had already generated nearly $1.4 billion. The 33-lot sale achieved $67.3 million, a 24% increase from the equivalent sale last year, with a 94% sell-through rate. Headlining lots included an untitled Joan Mitchell painting ($14.3 million), a Francis Bacon diptych ($16 million), and a juvenile triceratops skeleton that sold for $5.3 million, exceeding its high estimate. Only two lots failed to sell, and notable results included works by Ruth Asawa, Firelei Báez, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Max Ernst.

phillips london evening sale frieze results 1234757669

Phillips’s Frieze Week evening sale in London totaled £10.33 million ($13.88 million) across 22 lots, a 32% decline from last year’s £15.1 million on 31 lots. The sale was 82% sold by lot and 84% by value. Highlights included a new world auction record for Emma McIntyre, whose painting *Seven Types of Ambiguity* (2021) sold for £167,700, and strong results for Martha Jungwirth and Flora Yukhnovich. However, major lots by Banksy, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat underperformed or failed to sell, and four lots went unsold, including works by Andreas Gursky and Sigmar Polke.

Italy purchases rare Caravaggio painting for $34.7 million.

Italy purchases rare Caravaggio painting for $34.7 million.

The Italian government has purchased Caravaggio's *Ecce Homo* for $34.7 million, preventing the 17th-century masterpiece from leaving the country. The painting, which depicts a bound Christ presented to the crowd, was sold by its private owners after its rediscovery and authentication in 2021. The state exercised its right of first refusal to match a sale agreed with an unnamed foreign buyer, securing the work for public ownership.

New tech and old names drive sales at Art Basel Miami Beach

Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) saw strong sales and a cautiously optimistic mood, with Pace gallery reporting nearly $5 million in sales including a $1.1 million Sam Gilliam painting. The fair debuted a new digital art section, Zero 10, where a Beeple installation of robotic dogs excreting NFTs sold out within five hours for $1 million total, and generative art from Larva Labs sold for up to $45,000 each. However, the opening day crowd was thinner than in past years, and about 20 galleries did not return, replaced by a record 48 new exhibitors. Dealers noted a slower, quieter pace, with buyers more cautious than during the indulgent pre-pandemic era.

LS Lowry leads the way as North Yorkshire art auction tops £215,000

Tennants Auctioneers in North Yorkshire achieved a total of £215,990 during its Modern and Contemporary Art Sale on February 28. The auction was led by works from LS Lowry, including the signed print 'Going to the Match' which fetched £35,000 and the drawing 'Children in a Crowd' which sold for £25,000. Other significant results included works by Brian ‘Braaq’ Shields, Geoffrey Key, and a David Hockney etching, contributing to a high 96 per cent sell-through rate.

Independent art fair adjusts as market slows

The Independent art fair in New York, running until 11 May, features 85 exhibitors—its largest edition yet—with 26 solo debuts. Amid a slowing art market, galleries are adjusting pricing strategies, with a notable increase in works priced between $10,000 and $20,000, which now account for about one-third of offerings. Several galleries reported strong sales during the VIP preview, including Long Story Short selling six works by Keita Morimoto and Ricco Maresca Gallery selling out its vintage board game collection for a six-figure sum. Co-founder Elizabeth Dee noted that VIP registrations were up 30% year-over-year, and dealers like Charles Moffett deliberately chose established artists to match collector comfort levels.

Record-breaking female Surrealists spice up underwhelming Christie’s New York sales

Christie’s New York spring sales brought in a combined $489 million across two evening auctions, including the Leonard and Louise Riggio collection ($272 million) and a 20th-century evening sale ($216 million). While sell-through rates were high at 94%, bidding was shallow and several high-profile lots underperformed: a Mondrian estimated at $50 million sold for $47.6 million, a Magritte from the Empire of Light series matched its 2023 price at $34.9 million, and a Lucio Fontana canvas that sold for $14 million in 2017 fetched just $7.5 million. Andy Warhol’s Big Electric Chair was withdrawn last minute amid a reported $10 million gap between seller and buyer expectations. The sales were bolstered by third-party guarantees and came hours after news of a temporary US-China tariff détente.