Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Dec 2, 2025 visibility 21 link 15 artists, 1 gallery

new york auction measures

New York's spring auction season concluded with a dramatic five-day marathon across Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips, generating a combined $2.2 billion. Sotheby's led with $1.17 billion in total sales, fueled by Gustav Klimt's *Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer* (1914–16) from the estate of Leonard A. Lauder, which sold for $234.6 million—a single work accounting for 20% of Sotheby's total. Christie's followed with $962.6 million, and Phillips added $92.1 million. Notable highlights included Frida Kahlo's *El sueño (La cama)* (1940) achieving $54.7 million, a new record for the artist and the highest price for a female artist at auction in raw dollars, and a triceratops fossil named Cera selling for $5.4 million at Phillips.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Mar 5, 2026 visibility 29 link 29 artists, 2 galleries

Sotheby’s Opens the London Spring Marquee Sales With a £131M White-Glove Night

Sotheby’s London kicked off the spring auction season with a "white-glove" Modern & Contemporary Evening Sale, totaling £131 million ($176 million). Despite significant geopolitical instability and market anxiety following recent escalations in the Middle East, the auction achieved a 100 percent sell-through rate across 54 lots. Key highlights included works by Andy Warhol, a Claude Monet landscape once owned by John Singer Sargent, and a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting that sold for £3.7 million after a mid-sale renegotiation.

newspaper observer.com open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Mar 11, 2026 visibility 31 link 16 artists, 1 gallery

School of London Masterworks Drive Sotheby’s £131M Modern & Contemporary Sale

Sotheby’s kicked off the spring auction season in London with a Modern and Contemporary Evening Sale that generated £131 million ($177.4 million) including fees. The auction saw a high 98 percent sell-through rate, bolstered by the sale of four significant works from the collection of financier Joe Lewis. The top lot was Francis Bacon’s 1972 "Self-Portrait," which fetched £16.03 million, while a new auction record was established for Leon Kossoff.

newspaper Mutual Art open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Mar 25, 2026 visibility 18 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

Art March Hong Kong | 8 Kusama pumpkins head to auction during Basel week – here’s every one of them

Eight signature pumpkin works by Yayoi Kusama are set to headline the spring auction season in Hong Kong, coinciding with Art Basel week. Major auction houses including Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Bonhams are offering a diverse range of these iconic motifs, featuring everything from a massive two-meter-tall fiberglass sculpture to rare red and yellow canvases. Notable highlights include a unique 2015 sculpture at Sotheby’s with a high estimate of HK$60 million and a rare red pumpkin painting at Bonhams.

newspaper TheValue.com open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 12, 2025 visibility 15 link 7 artists

A young Richter’s painting of an even younger Polke and a once-grimy Brazilian landscape by Frans Post: our pick of the May auctions

The article previews five major lots coming to auction in New York in May 2025, spanning Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams. Highlights include Gerhard Richter's 'Mann mit zwei Kindern' (1966), a portrait of Sigmar Polke estimated at $4–6 million; Frans Post's 'View of Olinda with Ruins of the Jesuit Church' (1666), estimated at $6–8 million and expected to break the artist's record; Andy Warhol's 'Big Electric Chair' (1967–68), estimated around $30 million; and Fernando Botero's 'The Bed' (1982), estimated at $700,000–$1 million. Each work is making its auction debut or is a rare market appearance.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 1, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 12 link 9 artists

state of the art market an analysis of global auction sales in the first five months of 2022

Artnet News, in collaboration with Morgan Stanley and the Artnet Price Database, analyzed global auction sales from January through May 20 for the years 2018 to 2022. The total auction sales for the first five months of 2022 reached $5.7 billion, just barely exceeding the previous high set in 2018. The sell-through rate was 73.4%, the second highest in the period examined. The average price of a work sold surged 180% from 2020 and 26% from 2021, driven by pent-up supply of high-value works. Sales of works priced at $10 million and above grew nearly 50% year-over-year, fueled by major consignments from the estates of Thomas and Doris Ammann, Anne Bass, and Harry and Linda Macklowe. Meanwhile, sales of works under $10,000 increased 43% since 2018, partly due to the rise of online auctions during the pandemic.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Jun 9, 2025 visibility 22 link 16 artists

new york sales underperform may 2025

Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips collectively fell short of their spring auction expectations, bringing in just over $1 billion in evening sales against estimates of $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion. The hammer total of $837.5 million was down from $1.4 billion in the same week last year and $1.8 billion in 2022, with a notable drop in high-priced works and fading interest in emerging artists. The top ten lots generated $278.6 million, a 63 percent decline from 2022, and only a handful of artists under 45 appeared in evening sales, compared to previous years.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Mar 5, 2026 visibility 22 link 11 artists

Records for English painting and Fontana's cuts push the auction

Sotheby’s London kicked off the spring auction season with a robust modern and contemporary art evening sale, totaling £131.7 million and achieving a rare 100% sell-through rate. Despite global political uncertainty, the auction saw aggressive bidding for British post-war masterpieces and Italian avant-garde works. The event also marked the debut of Sotheby’s new commission structure, which lowers fees for high-value lots to incentivize larger transactions.

newspaper Il Sole 24 ORE open_in_new Read original

person people schedule May 1, 2025 visibility 11 link 5 artists

Christie’s names new global president

Christie’s has appointed Alex Rotter as its new global president, marking another leadership change at the auction house. Rotter, who previously led the 20th- and 21st-century art department, will retain those responsibilities while developing strategies for auction and private sales. He joined Christie’s in 2017 and oversaw record-breaking sales including Jeff Koons’s *Rabbit* ($91.1m), Andy Warhol’s *Shot Sage Blue Marilyn* ($195m), and the *Salvator Mundi* attributed to Leonardo da Vinci ($450.3m). The appointment was made by CEO Bonnie Brennan, who succeeded Guillaume Cerutti earlier this year.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 12, 2026 visibility 17 link 2 artists

India Modern Art Boom Spreads Through Spring Auctions

The Indian modern art market has reached a significant milestone as a 19th-century oil painting by Raja Ravi Varma sold for nearly $18 million at auction. The sale of 'Yashoda and Krishna' reportedly involved high-profile Indian tycoons from the pharmaceutical and consumer industries acting as both buyers and sellers, signaling a robust domestic appetite for blue-chip Indian masterpieces.

newspaper Asia Sentinel open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 21, 2026 visibility 5 link 2 artists

Auctions of the week: ancient art, design and antiques

A busy week of auctions is scheduled for May 21-27, 2026, spanning Milan, New York, and other global hubs. Italian auction houses including FarsettiArte, Wannenes, Gonnelli, Finarte, Capitolium AuctionHouse, Pananti, Aste Bolaffi, Il Ponte, Maison Bibelot, Babuino Fine Art Auctions, and Pandolfini will offer paintings, drawings, sculptures, antiques, design, jewelry, and vintage fashion. International houses Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Bonhams - Cornette de Saint-Cyr, and Dorotheum also hold sales in New York, Zurich, Paris, and Vienna, covering post-war and contemporary art, handbags, fine wine, and antiques.

newspaper Finestre sull'Arte open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 13, 2026 visibility 11

Can Three Auction Houses Sell $2.6 Billion Worth of Art in One Week?

The New York Times reports that three major auction houses are poised to sell $2.6 billion worth of art in a single week during the spring season, driven by five luxury artworks. The sales are among the most anticipated in years, with major buyers shifting focus away from female and younger artists toward more traditional, established names.

newspaper New York Times Art open_in_new Read original