Dorothea Tanning's small 1942 Surrealist painting, 'Children's Games,' sold for £3.8 million ($5 million) at Christie's London, nearly quadrupling its low estimate. With fees, the final price reached $6.26 million, setting a new auction record for the artist and achieving a remarkable price of approximately $120,000 per square inch.
The record sale signals a dramatic and rapid acceleration in Tanning's market, fueled by a broader reassessment of women Surrealists and increased institutional visibility. Her auction sales in 2025 surged to over $7.7 million, a sevenfold annual increase, driven by collectors competing for rare early works. Experts note the market is still in early 'price discovery' compared to peers like Leonora Carrington, but limited supply of major works remains a key constraint.