Meet the Art Market’s Most Bankable Artists

This article is part of the Artnet Intelligence Report, The Year Ahead 2025. Our analysis of the second half of the year’s market trends provides a data-driven overview of the current state of the art world, highlighting auction results and trends, and spotlights the evolving tastes in a turbulent market.

European Old Masters

Jean-Siméon Chardin,

Jean-Siméon Chardin, Le Melon entamé (1760) the highest-priced artist at auction in the European Old Masters category.

Impressionist and Modern

A stylized painting of a woman sculptor sitting beside a bust on a wooden easel, rendered in Picasso’s signature Cubist style.

La Statuaire (1925) by Pablo Picasso, the third-highest-priced artist at auction in the Impressionist and Modern category.

Postwar

A vibrant painting by David Hockney depicting a neatly trimmed green lawn being watered by multiple sprinklers in a suburban backyard setting.

David Hockney, A Lawn Being Sprinkled (1967) the third-highest-priced artist at auction in the postwar category.

Contemporary

Yoshitomo Nara painting of wide-eyed child with long brown hair on yellow background, contemporary Japanese art portrait style.

Yoshitomo Nara, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (2017), the second-highest selling artist at auction in the contemporary category

Ultra-Contemporary

Contemporary artwork by Jonas Wood featuring a tropical plant, black cat, and fruit arrangement including bananas and pineapples on a tiled floor with a brick wall background.

Jonas Wood, Still Life with Cat and Fruit (2020), the fifth-highest-priced artist at auction in the ultra-contemporary category.

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content