Frieze Week 2025: London’s Auction Titans Redefine Contemporary Art Market

During Frieze Week 2025, Christie’s and Sotheby’s illuminated London’s art scene with record-breaking sales and unprecedented global engagement. From Peter Doig’s Ski Jacket to David Hockney’s iPad drawings, the auctions underscored the enduring power of blue-chip names while signaling a shift towards innovation and the celebration of contemporary creativity.

ART & FINANCE

Charlotte Madeleine CASTELLI

10/18/20253 min read

During the 2025 edition of Frieze Week, London became the epicenter of the global art market, where the city’s preeminent auction houses, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, staged a series of transactions that exemplify both the vibrancy and sophistication of contemporary collecting. Christie’s 20th/21st Century Evening Sale emerged as a particularly significant moment, achieving a remarkable total of £141.8 million, a 23% increase from the previous year and the highest Frieze Week total for the house in the last seven years. The sale was distinguished by a confluence of historic significance, technical excellence, and the vitality of market engagement, exemplifying the intricate dynamics between artist, collector, and cultural value.

Leading the sale was Peter Doig’s Ski Jacket (1994), which commanded an extraordinary £19 million after thirteen minutes of competitive bidding among six leading collectors, far surpassing its pre-sale estimate of £6–8 million. The evening also marked record-breaking moments for several other artists: Paula Rego’s Dancing Ostriches from Walt Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ (1995) achieved £3.5 million, setting a new benchmark for the artist, while Suzanne Valadon’s Deux nus ou Le bain (1923) sold for £1 million. Contemporary highlights included Annie Morris’ Bronze Stack 9, Copper Blue (2015) at £482,600 and Esben Weile Kjær’s Aske and Johan upside down kissing in Power Play at Kunstforeningen GL STRAND (2020) at £25,400. Significant attention was also directed toward the Ole Faarup Collection, which contributed £27.3 million to the evening total, benefitting the Ole Faarup Art Foundation.

Katharine Arnold and Keith Gill, Vice-Chairmen of 20th/21st Century Art at Christie’s Europe, emphasized the energy and sophistication of the auction: “We entered the week with confidence, presenting a meticulously curated selection of works. The evening reflected not only the exceptional quality of the offered pieces but also the vitality and passion of the collecting community. The enthusiastic participation of our clients, alongside the remarkable results for the Ole Faarup Collection, underlines the dynamism and cultural significance of Frieze Week.”

In response, Sotheby’s New Bond Street continued to assert London’s dominance in the art market. Their Contemporary Evening Auction on October 16 amassed £47.56 million, led by Francis Bacon’s Portrait of a Dwarf (£13.1 million), Study for Self-Portrait (£5.8 million), Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Untitled (The Arm) (£5.5 million), and Andy Warhol’s Four Pink Marilyns (Reversal Series) (£4.3 million). Sotheby’s extended the narrative on October 17 with a dedicated monographic sale of David Hockney, focusing on the artist’s most significant collection of iPad drawings ever offered at auction. The sale realized £6.2 million, more than double the high estimate, reflecting the sustained enthusiasm for Hockney’s pioneering exploration of digital media. Yessica Marks, Head of Prints at Sotheby’s Europe, observed: “The Arrival of Spring exemplifies the freshness and innovation that Hockney brings to the art world. The robust bidding, global engagement, and record-breaking results underscore both the value and cultural resonance of his work.”

These consecutive auctions, executed with precision and marked by exceptional participation, illuminate a critical moment in the art market. They demonstrate the capacity of blue-chip names to anchor confidence amid broader economic uncertainty, while simultaneously reflecting a growing interest in works that push the boundaries of medium and expression, such as digital and interactive formats. The performances of Christie’s and Sotheby’s during Frieze Week 2025 confirm London’s status as a global hub of cultural and financial activity, where tradition and innovation converge to shape both the contemporary art landscape and the trajectory of collecting.

Frieze Week thus emerges not merely as a series of sales, but as a cultural event, articulating the intersection of artistic excellence, market strategy, and the collective imagination of a community invested in the preservation and evolution of modern and contemporary art. In this context, record-breaking results are not simply economic achievements: they are markers of cultural vitality, affirming the enduring significance of artistic creation in shaping society’s intellectual and aesthetic horizons.