The past few years have been hard for the global auction business. The financial uncertainty triggered by geopolitical shocks caused the market to stagnate for some time, resulting in dropping sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and other major auction houses. Yet, by the end of 2025, the art auction activity was officially categorized as recovering, which one can see in the rising number of record-breaking deals and financial performance.
Probably the most audacious sale that made headlines was the $62+ million deal for Mark Rothko’s 1958 artwork, No. 31 (also known as Yellow Stripe). The deal was completed in November 2025, marking the highest-ever online bid at Christie’s. Another globally known deal took place in May 2025 at the New York branch of the auction house. Spring Marquee Week went down in history with a $47.56 million sale of the 1922 painting by Piet Mondrian, titled Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue.
The London affiliate of the global auction house brand also had an audacious sale in July 2025. This time, it was an almost £32 million deal, completed at the Old Masters Evening Sale. The object of the deal was Canaletto’s 1732 masterpiece titled Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day. This sale marked a new global record for Canaletto’s paintings.
Another audacious deal that also happened in London was the sale of The Winter Egg (1913) by Fabergé. The final cost of the purchase exceeded £22.89 million, setting a new world record for Fabergé art. The Winter Egg represents an exquisite item from the Fabergé collection, featuring an enchanting snowflake motif and a rock crystal interior resembling the ice effect.
The sale of Nymphéas (1907) by Claude Monet is the 2025 record-hitting deal of the New York affiliate of the auction house. The final price of the painting reached almost $45.5 million, marking the painting’s audacious change of ownership after a lengthy period of stay in Japan’s Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art.
So, what does Christie’s have in store for investors by the end of 2025? The auction house’s report has shown a recovery of financial statistics, with total sales of over $2.1 billion recorded in the first half of 2025 and over $6.2 billion in sales reported for the entire 2025. These results have been achieved in part due to a series of record-breaking deals discussed above.
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