L’actualité des maisons de ventes - juin 2026

The June 2026 auction news roundup reports a sharp slowdown in the ultra-contemporary art market, with sales of artists under 40 dropping from $306 million in 2022 to just $48 million in 2025—a 47% decline from 2024. Painting dominates 80% of this segment, but top prices remain far below pre-pandemic peaks, with Flora Yukhnovich's $1.73 million work leading. London now holds 26% of the market, ahead of New York's 24%, while Paris lags at 0.9%. Other highlights include a sale of over 150 unseen concert photographs by Patrick Ullman at Quai des Enchères, a record €10.2 million for Henry Taylor, and a €10.2 million Monet record in France at Sotheby's Paris. Ader also offers rediscovered Renaissance and Baroque works by Antonello da Messina and Rubens at Drouot.

Institutional exhibitions, new records and large collections at auction. It's a boom for Indian and South Asian art

Mostre istituzionali, nuovi record e grandi collezioni in asta. È boom dell’arte indiana e dell’Asia meridionale

Christie's London will host "The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection" from July 16 to August 21, 2026, featuring over 60 artists from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, with works dating from the 1950s to today. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi and draws from the collection of Kiran Nadar, a prominent South Asian art collector. This follows a landmark auction at Sotheby's New York on March 26, 2026, where the Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art sale achieved $22.1 million, setting records for 12 artists including K.C.S. Paniker, Vivan Sundaram, and K.K. Hebbar. The sale was led by Maqbool Fida Husain's "Second Act" (1958) at $5.1 million, while his earlier record of $13.8 million for "Untitled (Gram Yatra)" was set at Christie's New York in March 2025, purchased by Nadar.

One of the Rarest King Arthur Manuscripts Could Fetch Millions at Auction

Christie’s will auction the Clermont-Tonnerre Grail, a rare illuminated manuscript from the Lancelot-Grail Cycle (circa 1300), on July 8 at its Valuable Books and Manuscripts sale in London. Expected to fetch £1.5 million–£2 million ($2 million–$2.6 million), the artifact has remained in private hands for 700 years and is one of only three complete Vulgate Cycle manuscripts in private ownership. The 126 illustrations are attributed to the Master of the Liége Apocalypse, and the manuscript boasts a distinguished provenance including French nobility and British baron Thomas Phillipps.

Seoul Auction vs. K Auction: May Major Auctions Through Modern Masters, Contemporary Installation, and Antique Art

In the final week of May 2026, South Korea's two leading auction houses, K Auction and Seoul Auction, will hold major sales one day apart. K Auction's May sale on May 27 features 83 works with an estimated value of KRW 10.4 billion, including Park Soo-keun's 'On the Way Home' (1964) and Do Ho Suh's large-scale installation 'Cause & Effect'. Seoul Auction's 192nd Art Auction on May 28 offers 145 works with a combined low estimate of KRW 10.3 billion. Both sales focus on proven artists and rare works rather than large-scale expansion, highlighting Korean modern masters like Kim Whanki and Yoo Youngkuk alongside contemporary international names.

Why Anita Zabludowicz is putting £20mn of art up for auction

Anita Zabludowicz is selling £20 million worth of art at Christie’s London summer auction. The collection includes works by prominent contemporary artists, and the sale is expected to be a major event in the art market calendar.