Christie's and Sotheby's both posted strong results during Paris Art Week 2025, with Christie's four auctions totaling $107.4 million—a 16% increase year-over-year—and Sotheby's two sales reaching €89.7 million ($104 million), a 50% rise from the previous year. The top lot at Christie's was Yves Klein's monumental painting *California (IKB 71)*, which sold for €18.4 million ($21.4 million), setting a record for the artist in France. Other artists including Max Ernst, Paul Signac, Lee Ufan, and Berthe Morisot also achieved new auction records in France during the week.
The results signal a potential turnaround for the art market after a prolonged downturn, with both major auction houses seeing significant gains in Paris. The strong performance of modern, impressionist, and surrealist works—alongside contemporary art—suggests renewed collector confidence and resilience across categories. The record-breaking sales for Klein and others underscore Paris's growing importance as a global auction hub during Art Week.