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