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Maurice Leloir’s Four Historical Scenes Sell for €128,600 at BonhamsJacob Jordaens’s Portrait of His Wife Sells for €154,200 at BonhamsRenaissance Portrait Attributed to Conrad Faber Sells for €295,000 at BonhamsJodi the Nanotyrannus Sells for US$47.3 Million at Sotheby’sQianlong Emperor’s Jewel-Encrusted Gold Ewer Sells for US$7.11 Million at Christie’sHockney’s €282,200 Print Leads Warhol and Banksy in €1.06 Million Bonhams SaleMV Agusta Sells for $1.3 Million, Setting an Italian Motorcycle Auction RecordEnigma Machine Sells for £203,600 at Bonhams: Inside the 1941 Cipher DeviceUzo Egonu’s Will Knowledge Safeguard Freedom I Sets Auction Record at £198,900Yusuf Grillo’s One Man Band Sets Artist Auction Record at £461,300Ben Enwonwu’s Anyanwu Sells for £602,100, Setting a Sculpture Record at BonhamsRare Gandhi Portrait Achieves £152,800, Tripling Its EstimateBanksy’s British Cool Mickey Snake Triumphs at Bonhams, Selling for £330,600Whistler’s First Portrait Commission Sells for Five Times Estimate, Fetching $495,000Bridget Riley Stuns Art World as Myrrh Soars to $2.36M at Bonhams

Sotheby’s

Reporting on Sotheby’s sales of art, historical objects, musical instruments and digital collections. Auction previews, results and market features follow individual lots and examine the wider collecting questions raised by their sale.

Why Demand for Renaissance Art Remains Strong: Money, Mystery and the Power of Rediscovery

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Editorial illustration of Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait beside a jeweled cup, bronze equestrian sculpture, manuscript and auction gavel.

Renaissance art continues to attract extraordinary spending, from Leonardo’s US$450.3 million Salvator Mundi to major Botticelli and Raphael sales. Drawing on WAN’s reporting, Albert Chen explores the money, discoveries, restoration debates and cultural fascination behind the market. The story reaches beyond auction records to explain why these centuries-old works still hold collectors and audiences in their grip.

Legendary Stradivarius Violin Fetches $11 Million at Sotheby’s, Falling Short of World Record

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Close-up of the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius scroll, pegbox and tuning pegs against black.

A legendary Stradivarius violin, crafted over three centuries ago, has just sold for a staggering $11.25 million at a Sotheby’s auction—fueling not only the dreams of its new owner but also those of countless young musicians. With a history intertwined with Brahms and one of the most celebrated violinists of the 19th century, this rare masterpiece is more than just an instrument—it’s a living piece of music history. But who placed the winning bid, and how will this sale transform the future of classical music? Read further to uncover the full story behind this extraordinary event.

Oldest Ten Commandments Tablet Shatters Auction Records, Selling for $5 Million at Sotheby’s

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Two gloved handlers holding an inscribed Ten Commandments stone tablet upright.

In a stunning moment for history and collectors alike, the oldest inscribed tablet of the Ten Commandments has achieved an extraordinary $5 million price tag at Sotheby’s New York, far exceeding its pre-auction estimate of $1-2 million. The artifact, a singular treasure from the Late Roman-Byzantine era (ca. 300-800 CE), is believed to be the only complete stone inscription of the commandments surviving from antiquity.

One of the Most Important Musical Instruments Ever to Appear at Auction: $18M Stradivarius to Shape the Future of Music

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Stradivarius Violin

A dazzling relic from music history is about to command the global stage. The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, a violin crafted in 1714 during Antonio Stradivari’s legendary “Golden Period,” is poised to set hearts racing when it goes under the hammer at Sotheby’s in February 2025. With a jaw-dropping estimate of $12–18 million, this rare masterpiece promises not only to rewrite auction records but also to transform the future of classical music education.

Surrealist Art Market Shows Strong Momentum with Record Sales and High Demand

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The surrealist art market is currently experiencing a notable period of growth, evidenced by strong auction results and heightened collector interest. Recent sales in New York, Paris, and London reflect a robust appetite for works from this historically significant movement. René Magritte’s L’empire des Lumières (1954) led the market in 2024, achieving $121.16 million at Christie’s New York—the highest price ever paid for a surrealist artwork. This sale underscores a broader trend of sustained demand for surrealist pieces, both from marquee names and historically underrepresented artists.

Duct-Taped Banana Sells for $6.2 Million vs. 6.2 Million Children Die from Starvation Each Year

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Close view of a brown-spotted banana fixed to a white wall with silver duct tape.

A banana duct-taped to a wall has just sold for $6.2 million at Sotheby’s in New York, an event hailed by art critics as a record-breaking triumph. But as headlines celebrate this bizarre spectacle of wealth, one must confront an unsettling parallel: every year, 6.2 million children die from starvation, mostly in Africa. That’s over 17,000 children a day. While crypto millionaires and provocateurs play with their money in the name of “art,” over 700 million people around the world go to bed hungry. There’s something deeply rotten in our global culture when a piece of duct tape and a banana is valued more than the lives of millions dying from preventable causes.

Younger Generations in Asia Are Spending Big on Contemporary and Digital Art

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Illustration of a crowded art auction hall with raised hands, paintings and an Art/NFT display.

Younger generations in Asia are increasingly shaping the art market, with millennials and Generation X collectors spending heavily on contemporary and digital art. According to CNBC, millennials and Gen X buyers are emerging as dominant forces in auction houses, driving a significant portion of sales across the region. As the art market continues to evolve, younger collectors and investors, especially in Asia, are set to play a pivotal role in shaping its future.

The World’s Most Expensive Dinosaur: $44.6 Million Stegosaurus ‘Apex’ Fossil | VIDEO

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Mounted Stegosaurus “Apex” skeleton beside a person, with its back plates and rib cage prominently visible. Photo: Matthew Sherman | Sotheby’s.

The stegosaurus known as “Apex” has set a new record, selling for $44.6 million at Sotheby’s auction in New York on July 17, 2024, making it the most valuable fossil ever sold. This significant sale exceeded its pre-sale low estimate by over 11 times and concluded with applause after 15 minutes of bidding. Seven bidders competed for “Apex” during the live auction, with an anonymous buyer ultimately securing the fossil. The buyer intends to explore loaning the specimen to a U.S. institution, stating, “Apex was born in America and is going to stay in America!”

ART WAR: Sotheby’s Emerges Victorious in Russian Billionaire’s Battle Over Alleged Fraud

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Sotheby’s sign beneath a row of flags on a building with a glass façade.

In a riveting conclusion to a three-week trial, a federal jury ruled in favor of Sotheby’s on Tuesday, dispelling the accusations of Russian billionaire oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, who claimed the prestigious auction house defrauded him of tens of millions of dollars in art sales. The drama unfolded as Rybolovlev accused Sotheby’s of conspiring with Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier to inflate prices for four significant works, including the famed “Salvator Mundi” attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.