Art market analysis 2026
London
Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips closed the first half of 2026 before the summer break with their June auctions in London. A total of seven sales, including two evening sales and two single-owner sales, offered just over 500 lots. While this is around half the volume of the February London sales, the number of lots is up 10% compared to last June’s auctions and shows a strengthening of the London summer sales. The lion’s share of this week’s success comes from Sotheby’s: the auction house’s four sales brought in 92% of the total. Christie’s contributed 6% and Phillips’ only sale 3%.
New York
New York’s May marquee auctions closed with strong results across Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips, continuing the momentum seen earlier in London. The week was marked by headline sales that once again placed the top end of the market at the centre of attention, with Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A reaching $181.2m, alongside major results for Constantin Brancusi and Mark Rothko. Overall, the auctions generated around $2.5bn, driven in part by a small number of high-value works and the strong performance of single-owner collections, particularly S.I. Newhouse.
London
London’s first marquee sales week of 2026 brought together thirteen 20th and 21st century art auctions at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips. Around 900 works sold with an 87% sell-through rate, totalling £419.8 million and signalling steady demand across the market, led by Henry Moore’s 'King and Queen' (£26.3m).