LONDON.- Christie’s reported total revenue of $4.5 billion for the first half of 2026, describing its strongest opening six months in five years as renewed competition for major collections, museum-quality works and luxury objects helped drive auction sales sharply higher across every region.

Auction sales reached $3.5 billion, up 71 percent from $2.1 billion during the same period in 2025. Private sales exceeded $1 billion, marking the company’s strongest-ever half-year result for that part of the business.

The auction house also recorded a 91 percent sell-through rate, compared with 87 percent a year earlier, while the combined hammer price reached 124 percent of the aggregate low estimate. Christie’s said the improvement extended across all price levels, rather than being concentrated only among the most expensive works.

“We had our best first half in five years at Christie’s, growing in all departments and regions, at every price point,” Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Brennan said.

She added that the company had delivered its strongest level of international bidding and buying while maintaining a focus on exceptional art and objects, whether offered as part of major collections or through various-owner auctions.

The results arrive amid signs of renewed confidence at the upper end of the global art market. Christie’s said international spending outside clients’ local salerooms increased 34 percent from last year, while underbidding—the value represented by unsuccessful bids—rose 69 percent.

The figures suggest not only greater purchasing activity, but deeper competition beneath the winning bids. Christie’s also reported its highest average number of bidders per lot, which it said contributed to stronger prices and a higher proportion of works finding buyers.

Younger collectors continued to play a growing role. Millennials and members of Generation Z accounted for 47 percent of new clients, up from 45 percent in the first half of 2025.

Online auctions remained an important entry point, representing 63 percent of all new bidders and buyers. Digital sales generated approximately $200 million during the period.

Christie’s said day and online auctions were particularly strong for works valued between $20,000 and $100,000. Lots in that range achieved a combined hammer price equivalent to 148 percent of their low estimates, an increase of 21 percent from the previous year.





The company’s most visible success came at the top of the market, where it sold the three highest-priced works auctioned during the first half of 2026. Each established a new auction record.

Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 led the group at $181.2 million. Constantin Brancusi’s Danaïde sold for $107.6 million, while Mark Rothko’s 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe) brought $98.4 million.

All three were offered in May as part of the Collection of S.I. Newhouse, which realized $630.8 million and became the highest-value collection sold at auction during the period.

The Newhouse result reinforced the continuing appeal of collections assembled by prominent and respected owners. In a market where buyers are increasingly selective, a strong provenance and a coherent collecting history can add confidence and intensify competition.

Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art division accounted for the largest share of auction sales, generating $2.31 billion, an increase of 79 percent from the previous year.

The strongest percentage growth, however, came in more traditional fields. Old Masters sales rose 232 percent to $183 million, while the Classics division increased 168 percent to $241 million.

Asian and World Art generated $249 million, up 60 percent. Luxury sales, including results from Gooding Christie’s, reached $539 million, an increase of 15 percent.

In total, Christie’s auction sales amounted to $3.526 billion. Buyers from the Americas accounted for 54 percent of auction spending, followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa at 26 percent and Asia-Pacific at 20 percent.

The broad-based improvement is significant for an auction market that has faced uneven demand in recent years. Rather than relying on a single department or geographical center, Christie’s reported growth across contemporary art, historical categories, Asian art, luxury and private transactions.

Brennan said the results were achieved profitably and with disciplined management of capital, producing wider earnings margins and strengthening the company’s 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,” she said.

Christie’s Art Finance also expanded during the first half, providing liquidity and lending solutions across a broader range of regions, currencies and collecting categories. The company did not disclose a total value for the division’s lending activity but said it was reaching an increasingly diverse client base.

The auction house’s calendar for the remainder of the year reflects its effort to combine major sales with museum partnerships and public exhibitions.

On July 16, Christie’s and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi will open The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection in London. The exhibition will remain open to the public through August 21.

In August, Gooding Christie’s will hold its annual California auction as the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Later in the year, Rétromobile will make its United States auction debut in New York, with Gooding Christie’s serving as official auctioneer.

Music memorabilia will enter the spotlight in September, when Christie’s London presents Marr’s Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection.

Christie’s Paris will also offer the Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares Collection in September. The group includes important works by Jean-Antoine Watteau and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, alongside furniture and silver.

In October, Christie’s will mark the 40th anniversary of its presence in Asia with a commemorative exhibition in Hong Kong. Organized in collaboration with Daniel Eskenazi, The Royal Academy International Exhibition of Chinese Art 1935–36: A Commemorative Tribute will be presented alongside Asian Art Week.

The first-half figures place Christie’s alongside Sotheby’s in reporting a dramatic rebound in high-end auction activity during 2026. Yet the company’s strongest signal may lie beyond the headline totals: more bidders, stronger sell-through rates and growing competition across a wider range of prices.

For Christie’s, the combination of record private sales, renewed strength in historical art and major trophies at the top of the market points to a recovery driven not only by a few exceptional lots, but by broader participation across its global client base.