New Research Shows Increase in Price for Chinese, Contemporary and Impressionist Art
The MM Art Indices, released today, demonstrates that Chinese, Contemporary and Impressionist art have all increased in price during the Spring 2026 auction season
Joan Mitchell, La Grande Vallée VII, 1983, at Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction, March 2026. Courtesy Sotheby’s
The MM Art Indices, released today by SDA Bocconi School of Management and Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), demonstrates that Chinese, Contemporary and Impressionist art have all increased in price during the Spring 2026 auction season. The trend points to a growing trend of global art market recovery.
Key data shows that Chinese Art prices have risen by 1.7%, maintaining a 7.8% annual compound growth rate over the past 25 years. Impressionist Art has the strongest seasonal performance, at an increase of 15%, closely followed by Contemporary Art with 10.8%. It also reveals a growing integration between Chinese and global contemporary art markets.
The MM Art Indices uses scientific methodologies to analyse auction market data, aiming to provide information regarding art as an asset class.
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