Global auction totals saw a significant rebound in 2025, rising 13.3 percent compared to the previous year after a prolonged period of decline. The latest Artnet Intelligence Report highlights this recovery while shifting focus toward the increasingly influential world of private auctions, where high-value masterpieces are traded in invitation-only, clandestine settings away from the public eye.
This shift toward private sales and the recovery of auction totals signal a changing landscape for the secondary market, where transparency is often bypassed for discretion. By profiling key industry figures like Patti Wong and David Schrader, the report underscores how top-tier professionals are pivoting between auction houses, advisory roles, and private dealerships to navigate a more fragmented and secretive global art trade.