Art auction market report: December 2025
In December 2025, ArtSell recorded 12,321 auction lots from 51 auction houses, of which 9,276 sold (75% sell-through). The 9,187 sales with a published price total $145,406,848, with a median of $1,617 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Andy Warhol, “Marilyn Monroe (10 Blatt)”, at $5,226,276 (Ketterer Kunst). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
Top American artists
Ranked by total of priced sales in the month; region from the artist’s recorded nationality.
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andy Warhol American | $7,898,042 | 24 | Marilyn Monroe (10 Blatt) — $5,226,276 |
| 2 | Josef Albers German | $2,019,699 | 14 | Homage to the Square: Tenacious — $736,080 |
| 3 | Otto Dix American | $1,128,605 | 9 | Salon d'amur (Matrosenkneipe) — $540,794 |
| 4 | George Grosz German | $1,096,684 | 10 | Walzertraum (Vorlage für "Ecce Homo", Blatt 13) — $540,794 |
| 5 | Lyonel Feininger American | $951,373 | 7 | Marine nach Holzschnitt — $420,617 |
| 6 | Morris Louis American | $751,103 | 1 | Dalet Vav — $751,103 |
| 7 | Robert Motherwell American | $701,529 | 15 | Open # 184 — $600,882 |
| 8 | Judy Kensley McKie American | $494,328 | 3 | "Duck" table — $245,100 |
| 9 | William Copley American | $489,122 | 3 | Happy New Year — $330,485 |
| 10 | Christo American | $426,167 | 9 | Wrapped Reichstag (Project for Berlin) (2-teilig) — $165,243 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Pechstein German | $4,305,515 | 12 | Inder und Frauenakt / Früchte (Rückseite) — $3,077,774 |
| 2 | Wassily Kandinsky Russian | $3,773,888 | 2 | Behauptend — $3,650,708 |
| 3 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $3,419,821 | 17 | Sertigweg — $1,276,874 |
| 4 | Edvard Munch Norwegian | $2,760,362 | 54 | Frühlingstag auf Jeløya (Vårdag på Jeløya) — $1,051,544 |
| 5 | Gerhard Richter German | $2,471,174 | 24 | Abstraktes Bild — $1,216,786 |
| 6 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $2,433,851 | 43 | La femme au tambourin — $781,147 |
| 7 | Günther Uecker German | $1,884,923 | 14 | Anvers — $570,838 |
| 8 | Thomas Schütte German | $1,834,877 | 2 | Bronzefrau Nr. 12 — $1,788,672 |
| 9 | Piero Dorazio Italian | $1,439,576 | 6 | Soffitto alla b.c — $781,147 |
| 10 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $1,382,615 | 3 | Konik polny - tryptyk — $1,237,905 |
New artist records
The artist’s best price this month exceeded every earlier priced result for them in the ArtSell database (artists with at least three earlier priced results).
Auction houses this month
Auktionshaus Mehlis (691)Rago Auctions (644)Artmark (624)im Kinsky (596)Wright (592)Phillips (567)Strauss & Co (425)Lempertz (422)Morton Subastas (421)Whyte's (412)Bonhams (401)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (370)Capitolium Art (347)Ketterer Kunst (319)Bertolami Fine Art (316)Jackson's International Auctioneers (309)Van Ham (304)Pananti (286)Agra-Art (283)Levis Fine Art Auctions (283)Abell Auction Company (266)deVeres (260)Sworders (224)Toomey & Co. (219)DuMouchelles (216)Lyon & Turnbull (200)Pandolfini (194)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (192)Piguet Hôtel des Ventes (179)Maison Bibelot (162)Anderson & Garland (148)Austin Auction Gallery (148)Polswiss Art (135)Clarke Auction Gallery (128)Arthouse Hejtmánek (127)Sloans & Kenyon (125)León Gallery (124)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (121)Dunbar Sloane (85)Billings (69)SOGA (66)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (63)Toovey's (58)Circle Auction (57)Olympia Auctions (38)Vogt Auction (28)Sheffield Auction Gallery (25)Chorley's (16)Leonard Joel (16)Farsettiarte (12)Haynault (8)