Art auction market report: August 2026
In August 2026, ArtSell recorded 5,489 auction lots from 29 auction houses, of which 4,629 sold (84% sell-through). The 4,614 sales with a published price total $25,544,413, with a median of $1,088 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Brett Whiteley, “San Gimignano, Tuscany 1989-1990”, at $996,423 (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 | Norman Rockwell American | $319,219 | 3 | Young Love/Buttercup — $175,000 |
| 2 | Thomas Hart Benton American | $276,400 | 51 | Wreck of the Ol’ 97 — $15,500 |
| 3 | Ed Mell American | $210,000 | 4 | Evening Storm — $84,000 |
| 4 | Dave McGary American | $133,450 | 10 | The War Chief's Treasure — $21,600 |
| 5 | Kim Douglas Wiggins American | $118,500 | 8 | Day Acalde Burned — $24,000 |
| 6 | Neil Welliver American | $103,550 | 9 | Study for Untitled Brigg's Meadow — $32,000 |
| 7 | Emerson Woelffer American | $103,250 | 49 | Girl in White — $15,360 |
| 8 | Andy Warhol American | $102,822 | 11 | Blackglama (Judy Garland) (from the Ads portfolio) — $35,840 |
| 9 | Alexander Calder American | $102,254 | 6 | Turquoise tapestry — $57,600 |
| 10 | Ernest Martin Hennings American | $84,000 | 1 | Aspens — $84,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Boyd British | $302,900 | 4 | Figure by a Round Pool (Narcissus) 1976 — $97,065 |
| 2 | David Hockney British | $146,735 | 10 | 20th February 2021, Jug with Flowers 2021 — $61,453 |
| 3 | John Kelly British | $79,012 | 1 | Dobell’s Cow 2015 — $79,012 |
| 4 | Sali Herman Swiss | $53,552 | 2 | Redfern 1980 — $30,727 |
| 5 | Salvador Dalí Spanish | $42,951 | 28 | The Immaculate Conception/Resurrection — $4,480 |
| 6 | Gundorph Albertus Danish | $32,640 | 2 | Cactus flatware service — $20,480 |
| 7 | Marc Chagall Belarusian | $32,001 | 7 | Sirène au pin — $9,699 |
| 8 | Florence Fuller British | $31,605 | 1 | Portrait of Andrew Fuller (1896) — $31,605 |
| 9 | Joan Miró Spanish | $31,403 | 12 | Plate IX (from the Oda a Joan Miró portfolio) — $8,320 |
| 10 | Ettore Sottsass Italian | $27,712 | 8 | Rosso Francia 3 from the Esercizi series — $12,800 |
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
Wright (1,024)Rago Auctions (569)Morton Subastas (543)Scottsdale Art Auction (496)Strauss & Co (484)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (289)Hagelstam (232)Barridoff Auctions (231)Jackson's International Auctioneers (231)Auktionshaus Mehlis (184)Austin Auction Gallery (139)deVeres (112)Art+Object (104)Smith & Singer (97)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (77)Menzies (75)Leonard Joel (73)Anderson & Garland (72)Bolsa de Arte (68)Elstob & Elstob (63)Toovey's (61)Sworders (54)Circle Auction (51)Grisebach (50)Toomey & Co. (45)Brunk Auctions (31)Vogt Auction (23)Batemans of Stamford (9)Sloans & Kenyon (2)