Where is the auction market heading? Here are the Raw Facts according to Art Tactic

Hard data relating to art market trends is always hard to come by, but one of the most consistently reliable sources is Art Tactic, whose latest publication, Luxury RawFacts Auction Review, covers the first half of 2025.

Offering ‘a clear, data-led perspective on the luxury auction landscape’, this series of reports draws on over a decade of data and covers nearly 2,000 sales across jewellery, watches, wine, clothing, and accessories. “It examines activity at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips, unpacking the shifts and strategies that are reshaping this increasingly significant segment,” the authors tell us. It also promises a critical context for those advising, collecting, or investing in the space as the boundaries between art, luxury, and collectables continue to blur.

The report reveals that although global economic and political pressures are making the market more cautious, Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips still managed to conduct auctions worth almost $4 billion including premiums for the first half of 2025. Lower than the previous half that may be, but the decline has softened, pointing to a more stable picture.

High volume remains a key market driver, says Art Tactic, with a 1.3% rise in lots sold against the same period in 2024.

It is Post-War and Contemporary Art that continues to drive growth, generating a market share of just over 30% at $1.22 billion, while wine sales have come to the fore in the luxury market, with $87.3 million of sales, a 62.8% rise.

To find out more about what is happening where and how tastes are changing, the full report is available for purchase via Art Tactic.