THE NUMBER · AUSTRALIA
A$148.79 million: Australia's auction year, still short of 2007
Two houses took more than half of it. Deutscher and Hackett led on A$41.13M and Smith & Singer followed on A$35.8M, while Howard Arkley displaced Brett Whiteley at the top of the year's sales.
MARKET DESK · SOURCE: AFR / AASD, YEAR TO 10 DECEMBER 2025
Brett Whiteley, Woman on the Beach Reading an Art Catalogue, 1980. Sold for A$3,681,818 (incl. buyer's premium). Important Australian & International Art, Smith & Singer, Sydney, 28 April 2026. Image courtesy Smith & Singer.
Four markets, one read
A$148.79M
AUSTRALIA · AUCTION SALES 2025
To 10 Dec. Below the 2007 peak of A$175.63M. Source: AFR / AASD.
14.5%
HONG KONG · SHARE OF GLOBAL AUCTION SALES 2025
Third after New York and London. Source: Mishcon de Reya x ArtTactic via Ocula.
US$160M
HONG KONG · MARCH 2026 SALES
Christie's up 17% on the year. Source: Pulse.
+35%
SINGAPORE · SOTHEBY'S SINGAPORE SALE
Jan 2026 on the year before. Source: The Straits Times.
Latest results
LOT | ARTIST | WORK | HOUSE | MARKET | DATE | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eugene Von Guérard | The Mitre Rock and lake from Mt Arapiles | Deutscher and Hackett | AU | 26 Aug 2026 | A$1,472,727 | |
Brett Whiteley | San Gimignano, Tuscany | Smith & Singer | AU | 25 Aug 2026 | A$1,392,955 | |
Fred Williams | Two green clouds | Deutscher and Hackett | AU | 26 Aug 2026 | A$1,227,273 | |
Brett Whiteley | Lavender Bay in the rain | Deutscher and Hackett | AU | 14 Oct 2026 | A$1,055,455 | |
Fred Williams | Young Saplings, Kew Billabong II | Smith & Singer | AU | 25 Aug 2026 | A$736,364 |
HONG KONG ART WEEK 2027
ARTWATCH live from Art Central
24–28 March 2027, Central Harbourfront. Sale-night breakdowns from Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips within 24 hours.
FROM THE MARKET DESK
Hong Kong: the March sales came back, the depth did not
Christie's and Sotheby's both posted a third straight improvement in Hong Kong this March, led by a record US$17.6 million Joan Mitchell. Measured against the long-run… Read →
ARTWATCH ASIA · 8 NOV 2026
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Singapore Art Week: Sotheby's finds 35 per cent more
Sotheby's January sale in Singapore was up 35 per cent on 2025, with new records for Pacita Abad and Anthony Poon. It came a year after the house's Singapore sale had… Read →
ARTWATCH ASIA · 8 NOV 2026
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The million-dollar list: Australia's top lots since August 2025
Brett Whiteley leads the ARTWATCH database for the last 18 months, with a A$3.68 million beach picture and A$14.7 million across all his lots. The list behind him is… Read →
ARTWATCH ASIA · 8 NOV 2026
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Prices include buyer's premium unless marked hammer. Results as published by the auction houses.
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