Jackson Pollock's painting Number 7A, 1948 sold for $181.2 million including fees at Christie's auction in New York on May 18, 2026, surpassing his previous record of $61.2 million set in 2021 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Christie's described the work as "one of the first truly abstract paintings in the history of art," noting it marks the point where Pollock "finally frees himself from the shackles of conventional easel painting" [1]. The painting measures over three meters across and features black drips with touches of red on canvas [1, 2, 4].
The $181.2 million sale made Number 7A the fourth most expensive artwork ever sold at auction [1, 2, 3, 4]. While Pollock's works have reached up to $200 million in private sales, this is his highest public auction price to date [2, 3, 4].
Other notable auction records at Christie's included Romanian-born Constantin Brancusi's bronze sculpture Danaïde, which sold for $107.6 million to set a new record for a sculpture auction price [1, 2, 3, 4]. Mark Rothko's No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe) reached $98.4 million, surpassing his prior auction record of $86.9 million [2, 3, 4]. Joan Miró's Portrait of Madame K. achieved $53.5 million, exceeding its previous record of $37 million [2, 3, 4].
In November 2025, Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby's, becoming the second most expensive artwork sold at auction after Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, which fetched $450 million in 2017 [2, 3, 4]. Frida Kahlo's self-portrait The Dream (The Bed) set a new record for a female artist's painting at auction with a $54.7 million sale [2, 3, 4].
The May 18 auction highlights include top-tier works spanning abstract expressionism and modern sculpture. Christie's will hold its next major New York evening sale this fall, where collectors and dealers will watch for further high-value lots to appear.
