Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 1, 2025 visibility 22 link 22 artists, 9 galleries

asia rising morgan stanley artnet

Artnet News and Morgan Stanley have collaborated on a report analyzing the art market's recovery after COVID-19, with a focus on Asia's emergence as a powerful engine. Using data from the Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics, the report shows that China (including Hong Kong) has become a dominant force, overtaking the U.S. and U.K. in fine-art auction sales. By 2020, China reclaimed the top-selling global fine-art auction market position, and as of mid-2021, it remains neck and neck with the U.S. The report also examines the role of Hong Kong, which has consistently contributed over 40% of China's fine-art sales, driven by its unique economic policies and integration into the global art market.

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trending_up market schedule Jan 9, 2026 visibility 34 link 15 artists, 1 gallery

top artists auction 2025

The article reports that the top tier of the art auction market rebounded strongly in 2025, with the ten most expensive lots totaling $757.1 million, a 48% increase from 2024. Gustav Klimt became the top-selling artist, driven by the sale of his *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–16) from the collection of the late Leonard Lauder, which was the most expensive artwork of the year. The rankings saw significant shifts: René Magritte, the top artist in 2024, fell to sixth place, while blue-chip names like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat strengthened their positions. Notably, no women or living artists appeared among the top 20 sellers in 2025, a reversal from the previous year when Yayoi Kusama and Joan Mitchell were present.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2025 visibility 26 link 15 artists, 4 galleries

a tale of four cities

Artnet News and Morgan Stanley have released a report analyzing the global art auction market across four major cities—London, Paris, Hong Kong, and New York—over the period from 2013 to 2023. Total auction sales for the first half of 2024 fell to $5.05 billion, down from $7.17 billion in the same period of 2023. The report highlights a dramatic 49 percent decline in London's auction sales following the 2016 Brexit vote, while New York has maintained its dominant position, driven by blockbuster collections like those of Peggy and David Rockefeller and Paul G. Allen. Hong Kong saw growth until the Chinese property crisis in 2022, and Paris has gained ground post-Brexit, with sales up 30 percent over 2013.

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trending_up market schedule May 1, 2025 visibility 20 link 17 artists

state of the art market trophy lots and the new competitive auction landscape

The article examines the growing financialization and opacity of the fine-art auction market, highlighting how auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's have made it increasingly difficult for outsiders to understand true demand for individual lots. It details how buyer's premiums, guarantees, and irrevocable bids (third-party guarantees) obscure the actual bidding dynamics, with only a small group of wealthy financiers and intermediaries having clear insight into the market's inner workings.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 21, 2026 visibility 22 link 4 artists, 1 gallery

Which Auction House Led the Pack in 2025?

Christie's led the global fine-art auction market in 2025 with $3.5 billion in sales, a 10.1% increase from 2024. Its top lot was Mark Rothko's 'No. 31 (Yellow Stripe), 1958,' which sold for $62.1 million. Sotheby's followed closely with $3.3 billion in sales, a 31% annual increase, highlighted by the record-breaking $54.7 million sale of Frida Kahlo's 'El sueño (La cama).' Phillips placed a distant third with $390.9 million in sales, a 14.2% decline.

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trending_up market schedule May 19, 2025 visibility 20 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

phillips leadership changes 2025

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.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 22, 2025 visibility 24 link 1 artist, 5 galleries

Why Hong Kong is one of the greatest places in the world to buy art

Hong Kong has overtaken London to become the world's second-largest contemporary art auction market, according to ArtTactic. The city's commercial art scene is bolstered by outposts of top international galleries like Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian, Pace, and David Zwirner, as well as a successful annual Art Basel fair. Major auction houses including Sotheby's, Phillips, and Bonhams operate significant spaces there, with Sotheby's selling a Claude Monet for $65.5 million in Hong Kong in 2024. The city's art calendar peaks during March's Art Month, which hosts both Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 19, 2025 visibility 19 link 15 artists, 1 gallery

The 10 Most Expensive Auction Works in 2025

The article reports on the ten most expensive auction lots of 2025, led by Gustav Klimt's 'Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer)' (1914), which sold for $236.36 million at Sotheby's, making it the second-most-expensive artwork ever sold at auction. The top end of the market rebounded after a quieter 2024, with the 100 most expensive lots totaling $2.13 billion, up from $1.8 billion the previous year. Nine of the top ten lots were sold during the marquee New York sales in November, where Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips together generated over $2 billion and set 16 artist auction records. The list includes multiple Klimt works from the collection of American philanthropist Leonard A. Lauder, as well as a Vincent van Gogh still life that sold for $62.71 million.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 18, 2025 visibility 24 link 12 artists

report rebounding art auction market 2025 arttactic

ArtTactic's year-end report reveals that the global art auction market rebounded to $4.55 billion in 2025, an 11.1% increase from 2024. Sotheby's saw a 17% sales jump and Christie's a nearly 7% rise. Historic single-owner sales, including estates of Leonard Lauder, Cindy and Jay Pritzker, and Pauline Karpidas, drove recovery with $884.9 million in total. Old Masters, Impressionist, and modern art surged 42.3% year-on-year, while contemporary and post-war art lagged. The trophy market (works over $10 million) grew 19.4% to $1.48 billion, led by Impressionist art up 80.4% to $1.04 billion, fueled by three Gustav Klimt canvases from the Lauder collection.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 18, 2025 visibility 18 link 7 artists

phillips records 10 rise in global sales for 2025 taking 927 m as private sales surge by 66

Phillips reported global sales of $927 million for 2025, a 10% increase over the previous year. Auction sales accounted for $725 million, while private sales surged 66% to $202 million. The auction house attributed growth to the launch of Priority Bidding, a platform offering reduced buyer's premiums for early bids, which led to a 275% increase in early selling bids. Phillips achieved an 88% sell-through rate by lot, with seven white-glove auctions and over 110 world auction records. Notable sales included a Patek Philippe watch for $17.6 million and Francis Bacon's *Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne and George Dyer* (1967) for $16 million. The luxury watch division generated $290 million, its highest annual total, and the Dropshop platform attracted many first-time and younger buyers.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 17, 2025 visibility 17 link 2 artists

Phillips Sues Wealthy Scion for Failure to Come Through on Pollock Purchase

Phillips auction house has filed a lawsuit against film producer David Mimran, alleging he failed to pay $14.5 million for a Jackson Pollock painting after serving as a third-party guarantor. The untitled ca. 1948 white-on-black drip painting, which had appeared in a 1998 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, received no bids at a November auction in New York, leaving Mimran legally obligated to purchase it. Mimran missed two payment deadlines and later claimed he could not meet a third, prompting Phillips to file a complaint with the Supreme Court of New York.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 25, 2025 visibility 23 link 14 artists

Nudes by Tamara de Lempicka and Jenny Saville lead quiet Sotheby’s Modern and contemporary sale

Sotheby’s June Modern and contemporary art evening sale in London netted £50.8m (£62.5m with fees) from 48 lots, with an 87% sell-through rate, falling below the pre-sale estimate of £55.2m to £81.1m and marking a 25% decrease from last year’s equivalent sale. The top lot was Tamara de Lempicka’s *La Belle Rafaëla* (1927), which sold for £6.1m (£7.4m with fees), while a Jenny Saville drawing *Mirror* (2011-12) achieved an auction record for the artist at £1.7m (£2.1m with fees). Several high-profile works were passed, including Egon Schiele’s *Portrait Study (Head of a Girl, Hilde Ziegler)* and Barbara Hepworth’s *Vertical Forms*, reflecting cautious bidding in a bearish market.

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trending_up market schedule Mar 25, 2026 source 2 sources visibility 27 link 7 artists

Introducing the Intelligence Report: The Year Ahead 2026

The art auction market showed signs of recovery in 2025, with total sales increasing for the first time since 2021, driven by a strong late-season surge in New York. The U.K. market grew by 11.3%, aided by major sales like the $136 million dispersal of Pauline Karpidas's Surrealist collection, while the ultra-contemporary sector declined for a fourth year as investment flowed to established Impressionist and Modern works.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 7, 2026 visibility 54 link 8 artists

Hong Kong’s live art auctions are thriving thanks to Picasso and Nara

Hong Kong’s art auction market opened 2025 with significant momentum, characterized by a shift toward high-quality, museum-grade works and selective collecting. Major auction houses like Christie's, Bonhams, and Phillips reported strong results for blue-chip artists, highlighted by the sale of Pablo Picasso’s "Buste de Femme" for HK$196.75 million. While the market has become more deliberate, the demand for rare, impeccably sourced pieces by both Western masters and Asian contemporary icons remains robust.

newspaper South China Morning Post open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 18, 2025 visibility 23 link 10 artists, 2 galleries

Christie’s Paris Sells $64 Million Worth of 20th- and 21st-Century Art at Auction

Christie’s Paris held a series of auctions focused on 20th- and 21st-century art, achieving over $64 million in total sales with a 92% sell-through rate. The sales included works from the Lise and Roland Funck-Brentano Collection and the Henri Canonne Collection, and featured Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary art. Three world records and one national record were set, including a wooden relief by Sophie Taeuber-Arp that sold for $3.4 million and Jane Avril au Divan Japonais by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, which fetched over $6 million and set a national auction record for the artist. The evening sale alone brought in over $34 million, and the Contemporary Art sale exceeded its high estimate at over $9.4 million.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 8, 2025 visibility 14 link 3 artists

How Third-Party Guarantees Are Quietly (But Significantly) Rewriting the Rules of the Art Auction

The article reports that the New York Spring Marquee auctions in May 2025 generated $1.27 billion, an 8% decline from $1.38 billion in May 2024, followed by a 26% drop in London June auctions to £98 million. In response to this volatile market, auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s are increasingly relying on third-party guarantees (or irrevocable bids), where a buyer agrees in advance to purchase a lot at a set price if no higher bid emerges. Data from Pi-eX Ltd shows that third-party guarantee coverage surged from near zero in 2021 to a record 73% in May 2025, with the Leonard & Louise Riggio collection being 99% backed by such guarantees.

newspaper observer.com open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 20, 2025 visibility 10

art auction glossary guide

Artnet News has published a glossary guide explaining key terms and concepts used in art auctions. The guide covers terminology such as reserve price, hammer price, buyer's premium, and bidding increments, aimed at helping newcomers navigate the auction process.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 26, 2025 visibility 9

Global share of contemporary art auction revenue 2024

A Statista chart published in April 2025 shows the geographical distribution of post-war and contemporary art auction revenue worldwide in 2024. The United States dominated with 48% of the combined post-war and contemporary market, followed by China (17%), the United Kingdom (15%), France (6%), Germany (2%), and other countries (11%). When broken down, the U.S. held 50% of post-war and 45% of contemporary revenue, while China captured 13% of post-war and 25% of contemporary revenue, reflecting its stronger position in the contemporary segment.

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