Nicolas Party's exhibition "Dead Fish" at Karma gallery in Chelsea, New York, features approximately 40 postcard-sized oil-on-copper works and a mural of three dead fish, a departure from his usual large-scale pastel paintings. Only 10 of the works were for sale, priced between $165,000 and $205,000, and all sold quickly. The show includes replicas of his earlier compositions, described as a "retrospective in miniature," with many pieces drawn from his archive and not available for purchase.
While the primary market for Party's new miniatures is booming, his secondary market is reportedly struggling, with auction results for larger works like "Landscape" (2014) fetching $1.55 million at Christie's in 2024 but overall demand appearing uneven. The exhibition highlights Party's strategic shift to smaller, more accessible works, which may reset his auction market by creating new benchmarks and collector interest. The show also underscores the influence of gallerist Brendan Dugan and Karma's growing role in representing top-tier artists.