London, 26 June 2026 - Phillips' Modern & Contemporary Art sale in London realized £11,964,743 (US$15,820,780 / €13,870,727), a result built on competitive bidding from a genuinely international audience. Of the 90 lots offered, 76 found buyers, for a sell-through rate of 84 percent by lot and 91 percent by value. David Hockney's The Only One with Waves led the sale, while a new world auction record was set for the painter Andrew Cranston.
Reflecting on the evening, Olivia Thornton, Deputy Chairwoman of Modern & Contemporary Art for Europe, noted that the sale demonstrated "the depth and breadth of demand across Modern, Post-War and contemporary art," and that "the engagement from a truly international collecting community was felt throughout." She pointed in particular to the South Asian category, which achieved a 100 percent sell-through rate, as a reflection of "a global collecting audience with an unwavering appetite for quality and historical significance across genres and geographies.
The leading lots
David Hockney's The Only One with Waves (1991) anchored the sale, selling for £2,423,000 against an estimate of £1,800,000 to £2,500,000. Yayoi Kusama followed with two works among the top ten. INFINITY-NETS (MAE) (2013), from the series for which she is most celebrated, achieved £1,548,000 over an estimate of £800,000 to £1,200,000, while SPLENDOUR OF STARS CHANGING INTO BLUE (2019) realized £322,500.
The Post-War category was led by Jean Dubuffet's Étanche Ibitryx Monte Crème (1955), which sold for £632,100, and Donald Judd's Untitled (1991), which brought £528,900. Contemporary demand was equally evident. Jadé Fadojutimi's O! The Climate Has A Temper Today (2024) reached £425,700, Adriana Varejão's Monocromo Redondo Ge (2014) sold for £283,800, and Banksy's Bullet Hole Bust (2006) closed the top ten at £270,900.
A new world record and South Asian strength
The sale set a new world auction record for Andrew Cranston, whose Meditation in a tenement (2023) sold for £83,850, surpassing both its estimate of £60,000 to £80,000 and the artist's previous record of £63,000, set in 2024. The South Asian category proved one of the evening's clear strengths, selling through in full. Maqbool Fida Husain's Untitled (circa 1970s), by the leading Indian Modernist, nearly tripled its estimate to sell for £412,800, and Hsiao Chin's Inner Light (1966) offered another standout moment, realizing £516,000 against an estimate of £80,000 to £120,000.
Top ten lots
| Lot | Artist and work | Estimate | Price achieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | David Hockney, The Only One with Waves, 1991 | £1,800,000 to £2,500,000 | £2,423,000 |
| 6 | Yayoi Kusama, INFINITY-NETS (MAE), 2013 | £800,000 to £1,200,000 | £1,548,000 |
| 12 | Jean Dubuffet, Étanche Ibitryx Monte Crème, 1955 | £750,000 to £950,000 | £632,100 |
| 8 | Donald Judd, Untitled, 1991 | £300,000 to £500,000 | £528,900 |
| 33 | Hsiao Chin, Inner Light, 1966 | £80,000 to £120,000 | £516,000 |
| 3 | Jadé Fadojutimi, O! The Climate Has A Temper Today, 2024 | £300,000 to £500,000 | £425,700 |
| 27 | Maqbool Fida Husain, Untitled, circa 1970s | £150,000 to £250,000 | £412,800 |
| 15 | Yayoi Kusama, SPLENDOUR OF STARS CHANGING INTO BLUE, 2019 | £300,000 to £400,000 | £322,500 |
| 21 | Adriana Varejão, Monocromo Redondo Ge, 2014 | £180,000 to £250,000 | £283,800 |
| 43 | Banksy, Bullet Hole Bust, 2006 | £150,000 to £200,000 | £270,900 |
The sale arrives as Phillips marks its 230th anniversary in 2026. Founded in London in 1796 by the auctioneer Harry Phillips, the house has long specialized in Modern & Contemporary Art, Design, and Luxury, and today holds its principal auctions in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong Kong.
Estimates do not include the buyer's premium; prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Exchange rates on 26 June 2026: £1 = US$1.3223 / €1.1593 / HK$10.3701.
