Dorotheum's Contemporary Art auction in Vienna on May 20, 2026, set a new world record for Italian artist Carla Accardi, whose work *Fonda notte - Pieno giorno* (1986) sold for €520,000 to a telephone bidder. The sale also saw strong results for Martha Jungwirth (€429,000), Miriam Cahn (€195,000), and top lots including Thomas Schütte's *Vater Staat* (€520,000) and works by Mikuláš Medek (up to €546,000). International participation was robust, with particular demand for female artists and Central European figures.
The record for Accardi underscores a broader market shift toward recognizing women artists of the European avant-garde, a segment that has seen critical and commercial expansion in recent years. The auction's strong performance for female artists like Jungwirth and Cahn, alongside historical figures such as Helena Vieira da Silva, signals sustained collector interest in gender equity within the art market. The results also highlight Dorotheum's role as a key venue for postwar and contemporary European art, especially from Central Europe and the German-speaking region.