With the close of business on Sunday, the 2026 edition of Art Basel in Switzerland is a wrap. For most collectors, it’s time to jet off to Mallorca—though for the true diehards, there’s always another convening point. (The London sales or Upstate Art Weekend, anyone?)
Coming off two lackluster years, the first half of 2026 had stronger than expected activity. The May sales showed robust bidding across categories, with truly stellar results for museum-grade trophy works. That gravitation toward the high end was apparent at fairs across the first half of 2026, and the flagship Art Basel fair was no different. As Haily Widrig, founder of Art Partners Advisory, told ARTnews after the first VIP preview day last week, “There is more disparity in the market than in previous years. There seems to be a go-big-or-go-home attitude at the booths.”
Still, Art Basel and the participating galleries asserted that the middle market, as well as the emerging sector, showed healthy activity at the event, with the fair sending out a long list of reported sales in that band.
For those that are wondering what sold at the high end, take a look at our top 10 below.
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Louise Bourgeois, Couple, 2002
Image Credit: Sebastiano Pellion di Persano Sold For: $2.2 million at Xavier Hufkens
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Yves Klein, Untitled
Image Credit: Sebastiano Pellion di Persano Sold For: €2.25 million ($2.57 million) at Xavier Hufkens
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Lynne Drexler, Untitled, 1960
Image Credit: White Cube (Frankie Tyska) Sold For: $2.5 million at White Cube
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Pierre Soulages, Peinture 146 X 97 cm, 31 janvier 1954, 1954
Image Credit: Guillaume Onimus Sold For: $3 million at Thaddaeus Ropac
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Helen Frankenthaler, Sudden Wave, 1982
Sold For: $3 million at Thaddaeus Ropac
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Cy Twombly, On Returning from Tonnicoda, 1973
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Pablo Picasso, Satyre, Pan et nymphe, 1938
Image Credit: Hugard & Vanoverschelde/©2026 Succession Picasso/Courtesy Almine Rech Sold For: $6–$6.5 million at Almine Rech
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David Hockney, Studio Interior #2, 2014
Image Credit: Courtesy Gray and Art Basel Sold for: $8.5 million at Gray
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Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild (940-7), 2015
Image Credit: ©Gerhard Richter/Courtesy Hauser & Wirth Sold For: $20 million at Hauser & Wirth
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Pablo Picasso, Le peintre et son modèle dans un paysage, 1963
Image Credit: Courtesy Art Basel Sold for: $35 million at Hauser & Wirth.
