By Jordan Aquistapace
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May 26, 2026
Sotheby’s New York Spring Season Reaches $908.6 Million With Record-Breaking Art Sales
It’s no secret that investment-grade collectibles are fueling fascination for 2026, with world-renowned auction houses reporting record-breaking sales figures, whether it be exclusive exotic and classic cars or rare and prestigious works of art. Sotheby’s is celebrating a monumental end to its coveted New York Spring Season with an impressive $908.6 million in sales, hosted over the past two weeks from its new headquarters at the Breuer building on Madison Avenue. The nine-figure sales results were achieved through Sotheby’s two main art categories throughout the month of May, including Now & Contemporary (14th-15th) and Modern (19th-20th).
Jean-Michel Basquiat — Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown)
Contemporary Auction Highlights
Jean-Michel Basquiat — Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown) — Sold for $52,717,500
Willem de Kooning — Untitled III — Sold for $26,000,000
Andy Warhol — Brigitte Bardot — Sold for $24,830,000
Mark Rothko — Untitled — Sold for $16,465,000
Lucio Fontana — Concetto spaziale, Il cielo di Venezia — Sold for $16,492,500
Roy Lichtenstein — Half Face with Collar — Sold for $12,985,000
Agnes Martin — Untitled #10 — Sold for $8,904,000
David Hockney — The Valley, Mountains in Var (Near La Garde Freinet) — Sold for $6,586,000
Alexander Calder — Mobile Blanc — Sold for $8,425,000
Joan Mitchell — Loom II — Sold for $7,806,000
Sotheby’s auctions served as a massive showcase for modern and contemporary art, bringing together some of the biggest artistic names of the past century alongside a new generation of rising talent. Covering around 80 years of art, the sales featured everything from Postwar abstract works and colorful Pop Art pieces to Minimalist creations and newer contemporary works. Leading the season was Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown), along with major works from artists like Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Lucio Fontana, Roy Lichtenstein, and Alexander Calder. The sale also featured pieces from the Jean and Terry de Gunzburg collection, curating a lineup with museum-quality works and some of the most recognizable names in art history.
Henri Matisse — La Chaise lorraine
Modern Auction Highlights
Henri Matisse — La Chaise lorraine — Sold for $48,405,000
Pablo Picasso — Arlequin (Buste) — Sold for $42,640,000
Vincent van Gogh — La Moisson en Provence — Sold for $29,430,000
Alberto Giacometti — La Clairière (Composition avec neuf figures) — Sold for $23,105,000
Henri Matisse — La Séance du matin — Sold for $20,000,000
Wassily Kandinsky — Rote Tiefe (Red Depth) — Sold for $14,480,000
Auguste Rodin — Penseur, Taille de la Porte dit "Moyen Modèle" — No final sale price listed
Pierre-Auguste Renoir — Baigneuse assise sur un rocher — Sold for $8,660,000
Georgia O'Keeffe — Inside Clam Shell — Sold for $8,904,000
Pablo Picasso — Tête de femme sur fond jaune — Sold for $7,745,000
The Modern Day auction offered a look at how art evolved over more than a century, moving from Impressionist works into experimental styles that changed the art world. Instead of focusing on one specific movement or region, the auction showed how artists from Europe and the Americas pushed boundaries, borrowed ideas, and influenced one another across generations. The lineup included well-known names like René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí, along with works from notable private collections assembled by collectors like Robert Mnuchin and Adele and Enrico Donati.
