Art auction market report: April 2026
In April 2026, ArtSell recorded 10,962 auction lots from 45 auction houses, of which 8,427 sold (77% sell-through). The 8,391 sales with a published price total $83,976,905, with a median of $1,536 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Brett Whiteley, “Woman on the Beach Reading an Art Catalogue 1980”, at $2,633,899 (Smith & Singer). 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 | Nicolai Fechin Russian | $1,756,800 | 5 | Carmencita — $1,020,000 |
| 2 | Bob Ross American | $1,132,800 | 5 | Purple Mountain Range — $279,900 |
| 3 | Andy Warhol American | $1,091,638 | 48 | Grace Kelly (F. & S. 305) — $193,500 |
| 4 | Thomas Dewing American | $826,000 | 1 | Figures with Blossoms — $826,000 |
| 5 | Ed Mell American | $792,000 | 14 | Guardo Expanse — $132,000 |
| 6 | Frederic Remington American | $699,594 | 6 | The Broncho Buster — $690,000 |
| 7 | Guy Rose American | $572,000 | 1 | Incoming Fog, La Jolla — $572,000 |
| 8 | Robert Mapplethorpe American | $556,319 | 14 | Self Portrait — $96,095 |
| 9 | Irving Penn American | $542,637 | 15 | Black and White Vogue Cover (Jean Patchett), New York — $90,300 |
| 10 | LeRoy Neiman American | $496,685 | 13 | Roulette — $140,200 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $1,378,355 | 77 | Portrait de Jacqueline au Chapeau de Paille (Tête de Femme) (Bloch 1067, Baer 1279) — $279,900 |
| 2 | René Lalique French | $716,257 | 130 | BRANCHES DE LAITERON VASE, CP77 — $63,249 |
| 3 | Tina Modotti Italian | $645,000 | 1 | Bandolier, Corn, Sickle — $645,000 |
| 4 | Ettore Sottsass Italian | $501,670 | 13 | Unique 'Toeletta Nanda', from the Ettore Sottsass, Jr. and Fernanda Pivano residence, Milan — $383,385 |
| 5 | François-Xavier Lalanne French | $487,945 | 1 | 'Mouton de Pierre' — $487,945 |
| 6 | John Tunnard British | $437,762 | 29 | Painting 1948 — $81,042 |
| 7 | Banksy British | $429,904 | 3 | Picasso — $349,435 |
| 8 | Wolfgang Tillmans German | $420,260 | 4 | Freischwimmer 123 — $309,600 |
| 9 | Bernard Buffet French | $293,997 | 4 | Autoportrait — $113,566 |
| 10 | Joan Miró Spanish | $275,311 | 25 | Gargantua (Dupin 972) — $57,600 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Drysdale | Drovers on the Barkly's (1957) Smith & Singer | $1,659,356 | $1,355,134 (131 earlier) |
| Nicolai Fechin | Carmencita Scottsdale Art Auction | $1,020,000 | $555,750 (50 earlier) |
| William R. James | Smoky and Clint Scottsdale Art Auction | $990,000 | $87,750 (10 earlier) |
| Thomas Dewing | Figures with Blossoms Bonhams | $826,000 | $5,000 (3 earlier) |
| Cressida Campbell | Parsley Bay, Sydney (1992) Smith & Singer | $526,780 | $385,870 (64 earlier) |
| Königliche Porzellanmanufaktur Berlin Kpm | A unique monumental KPM Berlin porcelain vase Lempertz | $446,227 | $315,893 (1124 earlier) |
| Kyle Polzin | America Endures - 250 years of Valor and Virtue Scottsdale Art Auction | $336,000 | $257,400 (41 earlier) |
| George Baldessin | Pear (1971-1972, cast later) Smith & Singer | $280,949 | $152,750 (72 earlier) |
| Edward Henry Potthast | Children at Play, Brighton Beach Bonhams | $248,150 | $149,000 (45 earlier) |
| Billy Schenck | Blood on the Horizon Scottsdale Art Auction | $216,000 | $64,350 (11 earlier) |
| Carlo Bugatti | Pair of cabinets Phillips | $191,693 | $123,197 (72 earlier) |
| Robert Spencer | A River Town Bonhams | $178,300 | $157,875 (12 earlier) |
| Alex Janvier | Denesoulini [Northern Athabascan Art Series] Levis Fine Art Auctions | $166,657 | $22,191 (82 earlier) |
| Georges Jouve | Table lamp Wright | $166,400 | $159,403 (139 earlier) |
| Madge Tennent | Rose Kokua (Portrait of Young Hawaiian) Bonhams | $152,900 | $114,800 (7 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (1,002)Bonhams (954)Wright (710)Strauss & Co (606)Artmark (475)Scottsdale Art Auction (456)León Gallery (435)Bertolami Fine Art (427)Lyon & Turnbull (422)Rago Auctions (371)Twents Veilinghuis (370)Farsettiarte (328)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (321)Levis Fine Art Auctions (320)Capitolium Art (271)Barridoff Auctions (269)Abell Auction Company (267)Jackson's International Auctioneers (260)Morton Subastas (235)DuMouchelles (175)Lempertz (169)Chorley's (167)Aste Boetto (163)Helmuth Stone Gallery (160)Morgan O'Driscoll (155)Anderson & Garland (147)Crocker Farm (140)Clarke Auction Gallery (139)Sworders (119)Ketterer Kunst (117)deVeres (114)Brunk Auctions (101)Smith & Singer (99)Agra-Art (80)Leonard Joel (78)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (74)Bolsa de Arte (66)Haynault (46)Hessink's Auctions (45)Elstob & Elstob (32)Pandolfini (26)Hagelstam (21)Vogt Auction (14)Sloans & Kenyon (11)Maison Bibelot (5)