"The Impressionist and Modern category overtook postwar and contemporary to become the most lucrative art-market segment in 2025, as collectors continued to favor well-known names amid a more cautious market. It generated $4.7 billion in sales, a 29.5 percent increase from 2024. Growth was particularly pronounced in the $10-million-plus bracket, which saw $1.5 million in sales up 68.6 percent from 2024. The number of lots sold in the category reached a decade high 122,213, and the average price per lot rose 22.4 percent year over year."
"Postwar and contemporary came in second place, with $4.1 billion in total sales, a modest 2.5 percent uptick year over year. The category also saw the most lots sold in a decade, 178,445, but the average price per lot dropped to a decade low of $23,027, indicating that works traded at lower prices. This may reflect a generational shift in tastes, as younger collectors gravitate away from postwar darlings and toward other genres, including Old Masters."
"Old Masters brought in $708.6 million, a mighty 41.2 percent increase over 2024. A lot of material came to market in 2025, thanks in part to the Thomas A. Saunders III collection of Old Master works, which went under the hammer at Sotheby's in May. Although that trove realized $65 million, it fell short of its presale estimate by $15 million, a sign of continued price sensitivity."
"The ultra-contemporary category, encompassing art made by artists born after 1974, cooled for the fourth year running. It brought in $229.9 million in total sales, a 26.5 percent drop from 2024. The average price for an ultra-contemporary work at auction tumbled to $15,629, a decade low and down 7"
Impressionist and Modern became the top auction segment in 2025, generating $4.7 billion in sales, up 29.5% from 2024. Sales growth was strongest in the $10-million-plus bracket, which rose 68.6% and reached $1.5 million. The category recorded a decade-high 122,213 lots sold and an average price per lot increase of 22.4%. Postwar and contemporary ranked second with $4.1 billion in sales, up 2.5%, and 178,445 lots sold, but the average price per lot fell to a decade low of $23,027. Old Masters totaled $708.6 million, up 41.2%, supported by major offerings such as the Thomas A. Saunders III collection, which sold for $65 million below its presale estimate. Ultra-contemporary sales declined for the fourth consecutive year, totaling $229.9 million, down 26.5%, with average prices dropping to a decade low.
#impressionist-and-modern #postwar-and-contemporary #old-masters #ultra-contemporary #art-market-auction-performance
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