Report Finds Auction Houses Have Made Significant Recoveries in 2026
An ArtTactic report analysing data from various major auction houses has found that sales significantly increased year-on-year in the first half of 2026
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Sotheby’s Masterpieces from the Lewis Collection and Contemporary and Modern Art Evening Auction. Photo: Rayan Bamhayan. Courtesy Sotheby’s
An ArtTactic report analysing data from Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips has found that auction sales were up 70% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, The Art Newspaper reports.
The breakdown across total sales for 2026 thus far (not including car sales) is as follows: Christie’s sales were up 71% from $2bn in the first half of 2025 to $3.4bn, Sotheby’s sales rose by 71% from $1.6bn in 2025 to $2.8bn and Phillips sales increased by 59% from $318m in 2025 to $505.4m this year. The most significant growth was seen in London.
“While marquee evening sales have been driven by $5m-plus artworks from major single-owner collections, the strength of day sales demonstrates that confidence has also returned to the market's middle core,” ArtTactic’s founder and chief executive Anders Petterson told The Art Newspaper.
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