Alice Neel's US$5.6 million sale leads a busy season for women artists
Alice Neel's Mother and Child (Nancy and Olivia) from 1967 sold for US$5,687,000 at Christie's in New York in May 2026, when the house's New York spring sales passed US$1.4 billion. Christie's
The Neel was the only auction record for a woman artist in Christie's 20th-century evening sale that season. An auction record is the highest price yet paid at public auction for an artist. Across the city that month, 17 new artist auction records were set in total, according to Artsy. Artsy
London had already posted strong results for women artists in March. A work by Sonia Delaunay sold for £1,819,000 at Christie's in London in the 20th/21st century sale. Christie's In the same month, Toyen's Le devenir de la liberté from 1946 entered Christie's The Art of the Surreal evening sale with an estimate of £1,200,000–£2,200,000. An estimate is the price range published before a sale.
Sotheby's in New York has tracked the middle of this market in detail. The number of women artists with works selling between US$50,000 and US$1 million rose from 197 to 310, the house reported. Sotheby's Sotheby's published its Women Artists Insight Report in June 2025 and runs a Celebrating Women Artists & Creatives sales series with listed auction times, lots and locations.
Two years earlier, the house had posted US$4.2 million for a work by Remedios Varo and US$444,500 for a work by Leonor Fini in its May 2024 New York sales. Sotheby's Those sales were recognised for prices for women Surrealists alongside figures for Leonora Carrington and Joan Mitchell.
The longer history puts the recent lots in context. Works by women accounted for US$4 billion at auction, around 2 percent of the market, while works by Pablo Picasso alone generated US$4.8 billion at auction, according to data reported by Artnet in 2019. Artnet Museums acquired 37,539 objects made by female artists out of 339,969 objects acquired in the period examined in later Artnet research. Artnet
Christie's Latin American Art auction totalled US$17 million, led by a work by Varo. That sale set world auction records and strong prices for Lilia Carrillo, Olga Albizu, Mirta Cerra and Graciela Hasper.
For anyone following the sales, this means more names to watch. The top lots still make the headlines. The action below US$1 million is where the list gets longer.
