Art auction market report: January 2026
In January 2026, ArtSell recorded 6,186 auction lots from 35 auction houses, of which 5,144 sold (83% sell-through). The 5,062 sales with a published price total $23,626,002, with a median of $954 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Bob Ross, “Change of Seasons”, at $787,900 (Bonhams). 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 | Bob Ross American | $1,894,800 | 5 | Change of Seasons — $787,900 |
| 2 | Andy Warhol American | $864,020 | 44 | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, from Reigning Queens (F. & S. 336) — $311,636 |
| 3 | John James Audubon American | $453,748 | 3 | Trophy of American Game Birds — $394,200 |
| 4 | Judy Kensley McKie American | $260,350 | 5 | Gorilla nightstands, pair — $114,300 |
| 5 | Dale Chihuly American | $227,427 | 21 | Assembled Persian group — $48,260 |
| 6 | David Bates American | $215,900 | 1 | Oleander II — $215,900 |
| 7 | Donald Judd American | $203,200 | 1 | Untitled (Chrome Yellow) — $203,200 |
| 8 | Wendell Castle American | $198,951 | 6 | Night on Earth — $76,200 |
| 9 | Joseph Lindon Smith American | $136,320 | 4 | Relief from the Southern Wall of the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak, depicting Seated Ramses the Great — $61,440 |
| 10 | Sam Francis American | $132,410 | 16 | Untitled (SF90-533) — $63,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $904,085 | 41 | Portrait de Jacqueline au chapeau de paille (Portrait of Jacqueline in a Straw Hat) (Bl. 1067, Ba. 1279) — $233,727 |
| 2 | David Hockney British | $535,290 | 13 | The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) – 26 April — $277,009 |
| 3 | Damien Hirst British | $405,765 | 21 | Tetrahydrocannabinol — $121,192 |
| 4 | Gerhard Richter German | $289,147 | 17 | Orchidee II (Orchid II) (B. 103) — $38,089 |
| 5 | Manolo Valdés Spanish | $215,900 | 1 | Orchids III — $215,900 |
| 6 | Banksy British | $193,734 | 7 | Girl with Balloon — $112,535 |
| 7 | Julian Opie British | $173,471 | 16 | Lawyer, from Walking in London 1 (C. 260) — $24,238 |
| 8 | Barbara Hepworth British | $161,057 | 3 | Three Forms (Extra Eye) — $152,400 |
| 9 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $139,670 | 1 | Portret Leontyny Gogulskiej, 1909-1911 — $139,670 |
| 10 | Lino Tagliapietra Italian | $116,840 | 6 | Bilbao — $44,450 |
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).
| Artist | Work | Price | Previous high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Ross | Change of Seasons Bonhams | $787,900 | $318,000 (10 earlier) |
| John James Audubon | Trophy of American Game Birds Bonhams | $394,200 | $70,350 (171 earlier) |
| Daniel Ridgway Knight | On the Terrace at Rolleboise Barridoff Auctions | $82,000 | $36,000 (7 earlier) |
| Willard Metcalf | Spring Barridoff Auctions | $65,000 | $10,000 (5 earlier) |
| Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová | Rectangular Cube Space Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $63,500 | $63,000 (21 earlier) |
| Leon Kroll | "Gull Rock" Monhegan Barridoff Auctions | $49,000 | $23,500 (29 earlier) |
| Arthur Wesley Dow | Cliff at Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard Bonhams | $48,640 | $21,960 (11 earlier) |
| Dustin Yellin | Psychogeography Study 31 Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $35,560 | $7,620 (4 earlier) |
| Tyler Hays | Cabinet Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $33,020 | $15,000 (21 earlier) |
| Harriet Whitney Frishmuth | Joy of the Waters Barridoff Auctions | $29,000 | $28,200 (56 earlier) |
| James Jarvaise | Untitled (from the Hudson River School Series) Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $27,940 | $10,000 (16 earlier) |
| Gino Levi Montalcini | Lounge chair from Villa Levi-Montalcini, Asti Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $25,400 | $18,750 (3 earlier) |
| Dominick Labino | Emergence Rago Auctions | $20,320 | $3,780 (10 earlier) |
| Melvin Schuler | Untitled Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $19,050 | $11,430 (4 earlier) |
| Martin Blank | Lotus Rago Auctions | $19,050 | $7,500 (14 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
León Gallery (650)Bonhams (617)Rago Auctions (544)Twents Veilinghuis (433)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (374)Morton Subastas (348)Artmark (305)Lyon & Turnbull (265)Phillips (257)Wright (242)Morgan O'Driscoll (228)Strauss & Co (206)Toomey & Co. (201)Helmuth Stone Gallery (194)DuMouchelles (165)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (134)Anderson & Garland (125)Abell Auction Company (116)Barridoff Auctions (116)Clarke Auction Gallery (114)Austin Auction Gallery (110)Sworders (100)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (84)Grisebach (58)Chorley's (55)Vogt Auction (46)Agra-Art (29)Hagelstam (24)Elstob & Elstob (23)Crocker Farm (11)Leonard Joel (4)Brunk Auctions (3)Bertolami Fine Art (3)Hessink's Auctions (1)Nadeau's Auction Gallery (1)