ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Sotheby's and Phillips London Sales: Bacon Leads, Hammershøi Disappoints

market-auction · 2026-04-26

On March 4, 2026, Sotheby's Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction realized £131 million, marking a remarkable 110% rise from £62 million in 2025, achieving a complete sell-through rate. The Lewis Collection alone accounted for £35.8 million. Francis Bacon's Self-Portrait from 1972 was sold for £16 million, while Lucian Freud's works, Blond Girl on a Bed (1987) and A Young Painter (1957-58), brought in around £14.5 million. At Christie's, Leon Kossoff's Children’s Swimming Pool, 11 o’clock Saturday Morning, August (1969) set a new record at £5,214,000, and Lucio Fontana's Concetto Spaziale (1960) sold for £9,825,000. Phillips reported £12,964,910 in sales, a 16% decline from 2025, with Anna Ancher's Young Girl Reading a Letter (1902) reaching £154,800, a record for the artist.

Key facts

  • Sotheby's Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction on March 4, 2026, reached £131 million, up 110% from 2025.
  • 100% of lots sold at Sotheby's sale.
  • Lewis Collection from the School of London generated £35.8 million.
  • Francis Bacon's Self-Portrait (1972) sold for £16 million.
  • Leon Kossoff set a new auction record at Christie's with Children’s Swimming Pool... at £5,214,000.
  • Lucio Fontana's Concetto Spaziale (1960) sold for £9,825,000 at low estimate.
  • Phillips sale totaled £12,964,910, down 16% from 2025.
  • Vilhelm Hammershøi's Interior of Woman Placing Branches... sold at low estimate for £1,642,000; a church spire work failed to sell.
  • Anna Ancher set a new auction record with Young Girl Reading a Letter (1902) at £154,800.
  • Andy Warhol's Mao (1973) tied as top lot at Phillips at £1,642,000.

Entities

Artists

  • Francis Bacon
  • Lucian Freud
  • Leon Kossoff
  • Lucio Fontana
  • Claude Monet
  • Alberto Giacometti
  • Barbara Hepworth
  • Constantin Brancusi
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat
  • Vilhelm Hammershøi
  • Anna Ancher
  • Andy Warhol
  • Banksy
  • El Anatsui
  • Harald Sohlberg

Institutions

  • Sotheby's
  • Christie's
  • Phillips
  • Artribune
  • Lewis Collection

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Copenhagen
  • Denmark
  • Oslo
  • Norway
  • St. Peter's Church

Sources