25 Sep 2025 | 4 min read
As we enter the final quarter of 2025, we also enter, arguably, the most exciting few months in the art world calendar.
Huge institutional solo show announcements, major auction houses host dedicated artists' auctions and big collection sales, Banksy hits the headlines twice, and that's just in September...
David Hockney continued the momentum at Phillips. Pool Made with Paper and Blue Ink for Book (1980), sold on 18 September, landed 93% above its mid-estimate, for £58,050. Proof, if needed, that familiarity backed by a serious pedigree still commands attention.
Pool Made with Paper and Blue Ink for Book
£54,500
The Scream (After Munch) (1984) fetched £6,628,000 at Sotheby’s London on 17 September, more than doubling its high estimate. Madonna and Self-Portrait with Skeleton’s Arm (After Munch) followed at £2,846,000, cementing Warhol’s status at auction.
Behind these headlines, the numbers are more sobering. Sotheby’s posted pre-tax losses of $248 million for 2024, double the previous year. With revenue down by 20%, even Patrick Drahi’s $909 million capital injection feels more lifeline than reset. Eyes are now on the $400 million Leonard Lauder Collection New York sale in November, to help stabilise sentiment.
Banksy’s return was a political flashpoint. His latest work, painted directly onto the Royal Courts of Justice, depicted a judge striking a protester with a gavel, blood red paint splashing across a placard. Claimed via Instagram, it referenced the criminalisation of Palestine Action and was promptly removed by authorities.
Hitting the headlines twice this month, the thief who stole a Girl With Balloon print, valued at £270,000, in a brazen daylight raid on the Grove Gallery in Fitzrovia in September 2024 was caught and is now awaiting sentencing.
“For me it’s one of the greatest international contemporary art museums in the world, and it’s here in London. I feel this show … will be a benchmark for me. A moment in my life when I look back and go forward. A true celebration of living.” - Tracey Emin in an interview with The Guardian.
Tate Modern - 26 February to 30 August 2026
The Serpentine, London, announced a solo show with David Hockney, focusing on prints and paintings. This will be his first solo show at that site, opening in March 2026.
KAWS has stepped into a new role as Uniqlo’s first Artist in Residence. He is now curating events at flagship stores while partnering with institutions such as MoMA and the Louvre.
A translucent home rendered in stitched fabric, suspended like memory. Suh’s installation is a study in displacement and belonging. Market interest in his architectural editions remains consistent, and this exhibition subtly reinforces why.
This year’s open-air display favours quiet tension over grand gestures. Works by Do Ho Suh, Ghada Amer and Claudia Wieser sidestep spectacle for reflection. A useful barometer of which artists are commanding institutional attention without overreaching.
National Portrait Gallery is a prestigious annual competition, celebrating the best in contemporary portraiture with a free exhibition of 46 portraits selected from 1,314 submissions across 60 countries.
Limited edition artworks, especially prints and multiples by blue-chip artists, remain a strong market pillar. Auction houses continue dedicated sales, with Phillips’ David Hockney only print sales and Damien Hirst online only auctions each reporting solid results in 2025.
From Warhol to Hockney and KAWS editions, prints with cultural weight are performing across the board. The ultra-high end may be slower, but everything priced under £10 million is enjoying the strongest sell-through rates in three years.
Warhol’s auctions beat expectations, Hockney’s “Pools” prints made a splash, and Banksy once again grabbed headlines with a mural outside the Royal Courts of Justice, though it didn’t stay up for long.
Limited editions are still proving to be the market’s steady choice, with younger collectors pushing demand and seeking authenticity. Meanwhile, artists with strong personal brands like KAWS and Emin continue to draw attention.
At the very top, things are showing signs of slowing, but the mid-market feels purposeful and very much alive.
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