Christie’s New York kicked off its 20th and 21st Century Art sales week on 18 May 2026 with a record-shattering evening, generating over $1.12 billion across two sales: Masterpieces: The Private Collection of S.I. Newhouse and the 20th Century Evening Sale. The top lot was Jackson Pollock’s *Number 7A, 1948*, which sold for $181.2 million, setting a new auction record for the artist. Other artist records were set for Constantin Brancusi, Joan Miró, Alice Neel, and Mark Rothko. The S.I. Newhouse collection alone achieved $631 million, selling 100% of lots, and its cumulative total across four Christie’s sales reached $1.05 billion, making it the second-highest collection ever sold at auction after Paul Allen’s.
This event matters because it demonstrates the enduring strength of the high-end art market, with major private collections driving record-breaking totals. The sale also highlights the continued dominance of blue-chip modern and contemporary artists, and the ability of auction houses to attract global bidding and record attendance. The success of the Newhouse collection underscores the lasting impact of visionary collectors on the art market, while the new auction records for artists like Pollock and Brancusi signal robust demand for masterpieces from the 20th century.