Art auction market report: May 2026
In May 2026, ArtSell recorded 9,775 auction lots from 52 auction houses, of which 7,739 sold (79% sell-through). The 7,431 sales with a published price total $234,837,209, with a median of $2,048 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Andy Warhol, “Sixteen Jackies”, at $16,225,000 (Phillips). 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 | $27,396,237 | 34 | Sixteen Jackies — $16,225,000 |
| 2 | Jackson Pollock American | $9,284,100 | 2 | Untitled — $9,168,000 |
| 3 | Joan Mitchell American | $6,871,930 | 2 | Plain — $6,850,000 |
| 4 | Lee Bontecou American | $4,259,250 | 2 | Untitled — $4,227,000 |
| 5 | Agnes Martin American | $4,060,559 | 3 | Untitled #1 — $4,044,000 |
| 6 | Keith Haring American | $2,491,240 | 8 | Untitled (Grace Jones Mask) — $2,322,000 |
| 7 | Helen Frankenthaler American | $2,268,520 | 4 | Paloverde — $2,193,000 |
| 8 | Wayne Thiebaud American | $1,999,500 | 1 | Self-Portrait — $1,999,500 |
| 9 | Georgia O'Keeffe American | $1,677,000 | 1 | Maple Leaves and Flowering Cactus (double-sided) — $1,677,000 |
| 10 | John Chamberlain American | $1,239,400 | 2 | MURMUROUS MOTO, MAESTRO — $787,900 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claude Monet French | $9,290,000 | 1 | La Route de Vétheuil, effet de neige — $9,290,000 |
| 2 | Gerhard Richter German | $8,088,681 | 3 | Besen — $8,070,000 |
| 3 | Vilhelm Hammershøi Danish | $8,027,700 | 8 | Interior with Windsor Chair at Strandgade 25 (Interiør med windsorstol. Strandgade 25) — $3,495,000 |
| 4 | Pierre-Auguste Renoir French | $4,063,560 | 21 | Vase de fleurs des champs — $572,000 |
| 5 | Jean Dubuffet French | $3,858,370 | 6 | Barbe des rites — $2,322,000 |
| 6 | Constantin Brancusi Romanian | $3,114,498 | 2 | La Muse endormie II — $3,085,500 |
| 7 | Alberto Giacometti Swiss | $3,068,000 | 1 | Femme debout (Poseuse I) — $3,068,000 |
| 8 | Marc Chagall Belarusian | $2,975,122 | 25 | Les amoureux de Saint-Paul de Vence — $2,193,000 |
| 9 | Paul Signac French | $2,362,960 | 2 | Les Diablerets (L'Oldenhorn et le Bécabesson) — $2,322,000 |
| 10 | Giorgio Morandi Italian | $2,322,000 | 1 | Natura morta — $2,322,000 |
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
Rago Auctions (864)Artmark (766)Phillips (675)Strauss & Co (623)Wright (501)Lyon & Turnbull (398)Morton Subastas (304)Levis Fine Art Auctions (272)Sworders (251)Pananti (246)OstLicht Photo Auction (244)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (228)Farsettiarte (228)Lempertz (219)Galerie Kodl (209)Toomey & Co. (193)Blindarte (191)Anderson & Garland (184)Bonhams (182)Van Ham (182)DuMouchelles (177)Abell Auction Company (164)Leonard Joel (155)Bertolami Fine Art (151)Davidson Auctions (145)Capitolium Art (142)Pandolfini (136)Austin Auction Gallery (133)Whyte's (131)Palm Beach Modern Auctions (129)Menzies (118)Circle Auction (112)Ravenel (112)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (109)HAUS Galerii (106)deVeres (102)Brunk Auctions (100)Cottone Auctions (97)Bogotá Auctions (96)Clarke Auction Gallery (91)Vogt Auction (75)Toovey's (60)Agra-Art (56)Grisebach (48)Elstob & Elstob (18)Crocker Farm (14)Hagelstam (12)Haynault (10)Van Zadelhoff (10)Lawrences Auctioneers (2)Maison Bibelot (2)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (2)