After several years of macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, the art market began 2026 on steadier ground. In the first half of the year, Christie’s reported total sales of US$4.5 billion, its strongest H1 performance in five years. Auction sales rose 71% year-on-year to US$3.5 billion, while private sales contributed a further US$1 billion.
Asia-Pacific buyers accounted for 20% of global auction sales, with Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia ranking as the region’s three leading markets. In Hong Kong, Christie's posted US$371 million in auction sales – up 24% year-on-year – and secured six of the top ten lots sold by international auction houses across Asia.
Editor's note: For Sotheby's results, see "Sotheby’s first-half 2026 in numbers: US$4.4 billion global sales, a record high for the house"
Rahul Kadakia, appointed Christie's Asia-Pacific President this year, led the Hong Kong saleroom to a standout first half
Christie's global figures for H1 2026
- Total sales: US$4.5 billion
- Auction sales: US$3.5 billion (+71%, H1 2025: US$2.1 billion)
- Private sales: US$1 billion
- Sell-through rate: 91% (H1 2025: 87%)
- Hammer price to low estimate ratio: 124% (H1 2025: 112%)
- New clients who were millennials or Gen Z: 47% (H1 2025: 45%)
Christie's global auction sales by category for H1 2026
- 20th and 21st Century Art: US$2.313 billion (+79%)
- Luxury (watches, jewellery, handbags, fine wines, automobiles): US$539 million (+15%)
- Asian and World Art: US$249 million (+60%)
- Classics: US$241 million (+168%)
- Old Masters: US$183 million (+232%)
Christie’s H1 2026 figures reflected a broad recovery across its art departments, following several years in which luxury categories outpaced softer fine art sales. Asian and World Art posted a 60% rebound after years of decline, while Old Masters generated US$183 million in the first half alone, already matching the department’s total for the 2025 full year.
Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 became the fourth‑most‑expensive painting ever sold at auction
Constantin Brancusi's Danaïde was the second-most expensive sculpture ever auctioned
Christie’s sold the top 3 works at auction in H1 2026
- Jackson Pollock, Number 7A, 1948: US$181,185,000 – auction record for the artist and the fourth-highest price for a painting at auction
- Constantin Brancusi, Danaïde: US$107,585,000 – auction record for the artist and the second-highest price for a sculpture at auction
- Mark Rothko, No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe): US$98,385,000 – auction record for the artist
Both the Pollock and the Brancusi were offered in Christie's single-owner sale of the S.I. Newhouse collection, the fourth time the house has sold works from the late media mogul's holdings.
The latest auction brought Christie's total from the Newhouse collection to US$1.05 billion, making it only the second private collection in auction history to surpass the US$1 billion mark, after Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen's collection, which realised around US$1.7 billion in 2022. The Rothko, meanwhile, came fresh to market from the collection of Agnes Gund, former president of the Museum of Modern Art.
Mark Rothko, No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe) set an auction record for the artist at US$98.4 million
Christie’s Hong Kong auctions in H1 2026
- Total sales: US$371 million (+24%)
- Sell-through rate: 92% (H1 2025: 89%)
- Hammer price to low estimate ratio: 129% (H1 2025: 108%)
- Bidders or buyers from outside Greater China: 40%
- Standout single-owner sales: Ai Lian Tang Collection Part II (US$48 million); Shitou Shuwu Collection of Classical Chinese Furniture (US$11.2 million); Iconic Wines from Joseph Lau Part V (US$4.7 million)
Christie’s sold 6 of the top 10 lots among international auction houses in Asia in H1 2026
- The Ethereal Jadeite Necklace: HK$200,200,000
- 14th‑century Yuan dynasty blue-and-white “Jinxiang Ting” narrative jar: HK$174,900,000
- Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild: HK$92,100,000
- Sanyu, Kneeling Horse on Carpet: HK$63,940,000
- Wang Shouren, Poem in Running Script: HK$63,940,000
- Walter Spies, A view from the heights: HK$59,060,000
Sotheby’s accounted for three of the remaining four places with Giuseppe Castiglione’s Gathering of Two Auspicious Signs (HK$179 million), Joan Mitchell’s La Grande Vallée VII (HK$137 million), and Mark Rothko’s No. 10 (HK$66.78 million). Phillips took the final slot with a Patek Philippe reference 2499 “The Pink First Series” wristwatch (HK$80.37 million).
The Ethereal Jadeite Necklace was the most expensive jewellery auctioned in H1 2026 globally
The 14th‑century Yuan dynasty blue-and-white “Jinxiang Ting” narrative jar was the most expensive porcelain auctioned in H1 2026 globally
Regional buyer contribution at auction in H1 2026
- Americas: 54% (H1 2025: 45%)
- EMEA: 26% (H1 2025: 34%)
- APAC: 20% (H1 2025: 21%)
Christie's APAC key figures for H1 2026
- Top three APAC buyer markets in global auctions (spend growth): Mainland China (+112%), Hong Kong (+77%), Southeast Asia (+55%)
- Other APAC markets (spend growth): Japan (+208%), India (+37%), Taiwan (+21%)
- APAC buyers for lots above US$10 million: 8x year-on-year
- APAC accounts for 41% of global millennial and Gen Z buyers by both number and spend — the top contributing region globally
APAC buyer spend by category for H1 2026
- Luxury: 38% of global auction sales – highest of any region
- Impressionist Art: +171%
- Western Post-War and Contemporary Art: +181%
- Asian Art: +53%; 58% of bidders and buyers were millennials or Gen Z
Gerhard Richter's Abstraktes Bild sold for HK$92.1 million (right: Kevin Ching, Chairman of Christie's Asia)
Wang Shouren's Poem in Running Script sold for ten times above the estimate
Bonnie Brennan, Christie’s Chief Executive Officer, comments:
“We had our best first half in 5 years at Christie’s, growing in all departments and regions, at every price point. We delivered auction sales up 71% YoY and our strongest half year private sales total. With a continued focus on exceptional art and objects, whether in collections or various owner sales, we drove our strongest ever levels of international bidding and buying and delivered the best selling performance in the market for our clients.
These excellent results were achieved profitably and through disciplined stewardship of capital, delivering expanding EBITDA margins and further reinforcing our already exceptionally strong balance sheet. As we look optimistically toward the balance of 2026, the global team at Christie’s continues to prioritize our clients and the long-term strength of the business.”
Bonnie Brennan, Christie’s Chief Executive Officer