Explore highlights from December 2025 London Classic Week | Christie's
Christie’s
Christie’s examines Explore highlights from December 2025 London Classic Week and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
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November 2025 Market Intelligence
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33 headlinesAfter the Klimt auction, is the art market really back?
curbed.com
Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236 million at Sotheby’s, becoming the second-most expensive painting sold at auction and the highest price for a work of modern art at auction. The Breuer Building auction week reflected broader concerns about the global art market amid debt issues and gallery closures.
Explore art and objects collected by Stern banking dynasty | Christie's
Christie’s
Christie’s examines Explore art and objects collected by Stern banking dynasty and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
How a rediscovered Klimt got swept up in an international dispute
dnyuz.com
Gustav Klimt’s long-lost portrait of a prince of the Osu people, unveiled by Wienerroither & Kohlbacher at TEFAF Maastricht for 15 million euros (about $16.4 million), becomes central in a dispute involving Hungary and Austria over cultural heritage and alleged Nazi-era looting; Austria’s and Hungary’s authorities have since claimed the work, with legal actions including a seizure order by Austria’s public prosecutor and a criminal complaint by Hungarian authorities.
4 Reasons the November 2025 New York Auctions Point to a Stronger Art Market
artsy.net
Artsy article by Jussi Pylkkänen discusses a $2.2 billion five-day New York auction total, up 77% year over year, with four key takeaways. It notes robust top-end activity including Klimt’s Portrait of Elizabeth Lederer achieving a high auction price, broader participation by Asian collectors and Middle Eastern buyers, and continued strength in the middle market and price speculation for contemporary art.
Gustav Klimt portrait of Elisabeth Lederer and the record $236 million sale
most-iconic-art.com
Gustav Klimt's Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer) is an oil on canvas completed 1914–1916, measuring 71 by 51 3/8 inches. Sotheby’s sold it in New York on November 18, 2025 for $236.4 million (including fees), making it the highest price for a work of modern art at auction and the second most valuable overall. Elisabeth Lederer was the daughter of August and Serena Lederer, Vienna-based patrons; the portrait was commissioned in 1914 and acquired in 1916.
Violinist Sergej Krylov granted use of 1710 Camposelice Stradivarius
theviolinchannel.com
Sergej Krylov has been loaned the 1710 Camposelice Stradivari violin by the Nippon Music Foundation. Krylov is music director of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and has performed with major ensembles and released multiple recordings.
Phillips’ Marquee Modern & Contemporary Art Auctions, Featuring Out of This World, Achieve $92.1 Million
Phillips
Phillips details PHILLIPS’ MARQUEE MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART AUCTIONS, FEATURING OUT OF THIS WORLD, ACHIEVE $92.1 MILLION, including the artists, works, estimates, and sale context documented in the release.
Ray Ushikubo to play the 1741 Playfair violin at free concert
latimes.com
Ray Ushikubo, a 24-year-old pianist and violinist from San Gabriel, will play the 1741 Playfair Guarneri del Gesù violin at a free concert in downtown Los Angeles on December 3. The Playfair is an ultra-rare instrument, loaned to Ushikubo indefinitely, and valued at well into the eight figures.
Man charged for stealing 286-year-old violin worth more than £150,000 from a North London tavern
giasabcnews.com
The article reports that Ahmed Sami Madour has been charged with two counts of theft in connection with the theft of a 286-year-old violin from the Marquess Tavern in North London. The instrument, made in Florence in 1740, is said to be worth over $200,000 (about £150,000). David Lopez Ibanez, a violinist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, was the owner/borrower of the instrument at the time of the theft.
Gerrit Dou's The Flute Player: offered for the first time in 125 years
Christie’s
Christie’s examines Gerrit Dou's The Flute Player: offered for the first time in 125 years and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
Frida Kahlo masterpiece sells for $54.7 million, new auction record for artwork by a woman
news.artnet.com
Frida Kahlo, El sueño (La cama) (1940), sold at Sotheby’s New York for $54.7 million, setting a new auction record for a work by a female artist. The winning bid of $47 million plus fees surpassed the previous record of Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 (1932) and highlighted Kahlo’s enduring market strength.
$236.4 million Klimt portrait sets records as Sotheby’s inaugurates the Breuer
sothebys.com
Gustav Klimt’s Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer) sold for $236.4 million as part of The Leonard A. Lauder Collection at Sotheby’s The New York Sales, setting records and contributing to a total of $1.17 billion in sales for Sotheby’s Breuer debut. The work became the highest price for a Klimt at auction and the second most valuable work sold at auction overall, with bidding from two phone bidders and involvement of specialists David Galperin and Julian Dawes.
Michelangelo study for the Sistine Chapel sells for $27.2M | Christie’s
Christie’s
Christie’s examines Michelangelo study for the Sistine Chapel sells for $27.2M and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
Watch the Klimt portrait breaks record as second most expensive painting ever sold
smithsonianmag.com
Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold at Sotheby’s for $236.4 million, becoming the most expensive work of modern art sold at auction and the second most expensive artwork overall. The painting, created between 1914 and 1916, depicts Elisabeth Lederer and set a Sotheby’s record in its 281-year history.
Art market bounce back continues in New York with Christie's 123.5m 21st-century sale
theartnewspaper.com
The article reports Christie's 21st-century evening sale at Rockefeller Center, New York, bringing in 123.5 million with fees, led by Christopher Wool’s Untitled (Riot) (1990) at 19.8 million. It notes 45 lots offered, 33 with guarantees, a 2% buy-in rate, and highlights works from Gale Neeson and Stefan Edlis including Andy Warhol and Richard Prince pieces, plus records for Firelei Báez, Joan Brown, and Olga de Amaral.
Record $236.3m Klimt leads Sotheby’s first night of auctions in Breuer Building
theartnewspaper.com
The article reports that Sotheby’s first evening auctions at its Breuer Building in New York totaled $605.1m ($706m with fees), with the Lauder collection sale contributing $456.2m ($527.4m with fees) and Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer as a standout lot; the night also included The Now and contemporary art auctions totaling $148.8m ($178.5m with fees).
A historic moment for the global art market Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sells for US$236.4 million at Sotheby’s New York , now the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction
linkedin.com
Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for US$236.4 million at Sotheby’s New York, becoming the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction. The article discusses rarity, provenance tied to the Lederer family, limited museum-quality Klimt works, the financialization of art, and the role of auction houses in driving value.
Gustav Klimt portrait that spared its subject from Nazis breaks modern art record with $236M sale
pbs.org
Gustav Klimt portrait that spared its subject from Nazis breaks modern art record with $236M sale reports that Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby’s in New York. The work, painted 1914–1916, was kept separate from other Klimt paintings that burned in a castle fire, and was once loaned to the National Gallery of Canada. The buyer's identity was not disclosed.
Christie’s fall marquee week sales total $690 million for Ross Weis collection and the 20th Century Evening Sale
press.christies.com
Christie's Fall Marquee Week Sales: The Collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis totalled $218,066,600 and the 20th Century Evening Sale brought in $471,728,400, for a combined total of $689,795,000. Mark Rothko’s No. 31 (Yellow Stripe) led the Ross Weis sale at $62,160,000.
Historic Night at Sotheby's Continues as White-Glove Leonard A. Lauder Collection Totals $527.5m
sothebys.com
The Leonard A. Lauder Collection at Sotheby’s Breuer Building in New York totaled $527.5m, with Klimt works leading the sale, including Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer which sold for $236.4m. The auction also featured Two Landscapes by Klimt realizing a combined $154.3m and Rare Masterpiece Bronzes by Henri Matisse selling for a total of $49m.
Christie’s top $62 million Rothko highlights robust 20th-century sale in New York
news.artnet.com
The Christie’s Weis Collection sale at Rockefeller Center led with a Rothko, No. 31 Yellow Stripe (1958), which sold for $62.2 million with premium. The auction overall brought in about $690 million across two parts, with the Weis collection totaling $218 million and 18 works, and the 61-lot 20th-century sale featuring artists including John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, and Mark Rothko.
The Phillips Collection moves forward with controversial deaccession plan
artnews.com
The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. plans to sell major works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur Dove, and Georges Seurat at Sotheby’s in November, a move sharply criticized by former curators, Phillips family members, and some non-governing members. Proceeds would fund a permanently restricted endowment and new acquisitions, aligning with founder Duncan Phillips’s support for living artists. The sale follows an 18-month dispute and tightens deaccessioning rules while reaffirming that the core collection will be defined by The Phillips Collection: A Summary Catalogue (1985).
Vienna prosecutors order seizure of Gustav Klimt’s portrait of an African prince
news.artnet.com
Gustav Klimt’s 1897 canvas Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona (1897) was seized by Vienna prosecutors after a Hungarian export controversy. The painting was sold for €15 million ($16.4 million) at TEFAF Maastricht and had reportedly resided in Hungary for decades; questions about its export and Gustav Klimt estate provenance are noted.
$250k Grancino violin and two bows stolen from train in the Netherlands
veniccio.com
A Giovanni Grancino violin from 1690, valued about $250,000, was reported stolen on a train from The Hague to Breda in the Netherlands on November 1. The instrument and two Eitan Hoffer bows were kept in a blue triangular case owned by Ryo Terakado, with luthier Dmitry Badiarov having worked on the violin earlier this year.
Guide to Christie’s 20th/21st Century Art sales in NY | Christie’s
Christie’s
Christie’s examines Guide to Christie’s 20th/21st Century Art sales in NY and its significance for artists, collectors, institutions, or the art market.
Steve Cohen revealed as consignor of Cattelan's golden toilet
artnews.com
Steve Cohen is identified as the consignor of Maurizio Cattelan’s golden toilet, America, with Sotheby’s Paris planning an auction around a roughly $10 million opening bid. The article also notes that Sotheby’s Paris presented Manny Davidson’s collection, achieving €18.6 million ($21.5 million) across two in-person sales, the highest for a single-owner sale in France this year, with Michael Sweerts’s 1648–52 work as the top lot at €1.6 million.
Pekka Kuusisto loaned 1695 Ex-Sandars Stradivari violin
theviolinchannel.com
The Violin Channel reports that Pekka Kuusisto is now playing the 1695 Ex-Sandars Stradivari violin on loan from the Anders Sveaas Charitable Foundation (ASAF). The ASAF owns a large Stradivarius collection and funds charitable work. Kuusisto holds roles with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and Gothenburg Symphony, with future involvement planned at the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
Stradivarius $16 million violin will be played by Sergey Khachatryan for 10 years
artsakh.news
A 300-year-old Stradivarius violin, worth an estimated $16 million, was played in Brussels by violinist Sergey Khachatryan with the Belgian National Orchestra. The instrument was made in Cremona in 1724 by Antonio Stradivarius and purchased by The Stretton Society. Khachatryan will play the instrument for the next 10 years.
Violino Hieronimus Amati 1690 e due archetti rubati nei Paesi Bassi
cremonaoggi.it
A violin labeled “Hieronimus Amati 1690” by Giovanni Grancino and two bows by Eitan Hoffer were stolen from a train in the Netherlands between The Hague and Breda, likely at Holland Spoor station. The instrument and bows belonged to Japanese violinist and conductor Ryo Terakado, a professor at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and the theft occurred on the evening of Saturday, 1 November.
Record £45.7m sale of Aga Khan art at Christie’s
serenademagazine.art
Christie’s London reported a record total of £45,760,485 / $60,952,966 / €52,212,713 for Exceptional Paintings from the Personal Collection of Prince & Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan, with the sale 100% sold across bidders from 20 countries. The top lot was A Family of Cheetahs in a Rocky Landscape, attributed to Basawan, Mughal India, circa 1575–80, which realized £10,245,000 / $13,646,340 / €11,689,545, a world auction record for a Classical Indian or Islamic painting.
Andre Rieu buys two pedigree violins
slippedisc.com
Andre Rieu buys two pedigree violins, both made by the French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1798–1875). No price was disclosed.
Trust lends Pekka Kuusisto Stradivari violin
classical-music.uk
The article reports that Norway’s Anders Sveaas Trust has lent the Antonio Stradivari violin Ex-Sandars to Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto. The loan is part of the trust’s program and follows Kuusisto’s September 2025 Oslo Opera performance; the instrument is among 11 Stradivari instruments owned by the trust and is shared with Nordic musicians.