Opinion After spring's marquee auctions, we are led to believe that everything in our important art universe is doing just fine. It isn't.

May 29, 2026 — 5 min read

Auctioneer Adrien Meyer sells Jackson Pollock’s "Number 7A" (1948) at Christie's for $181.2 million (photo courtesy Christie's)

The Pollock sucks up the oxygen. It is the lead story — important, yes, but also misleading. $181.2 million for a great Pollock , wisely held back until the market could carry it. More astonishing, in some ways, than the $451 million Leonardo, which had its own issues and was painted several centuries ago. This Pollock was made in my lifetime.

Not just the Pollock, but a $107.6 million Brancusi. Much of Christie’s evening sale went smoothly, exuberant and beautifully orchestrated.

But not so fast. For in this $1.1 billion evening sale, the number of artworks that hammered below low estimate or went unsold was substantial, roughly 30%, including big-ticket items like Agnes Gund’s Twombly .…