LONDON – This June, Christie’s will present its Post-War to Present sales as part of the London Summer Season, an annual celebration of the city’s dynamic cultural scene. Bringing together exceptional private collections alongside a vibrant programme of exhibitions, collaborations and creative initiatives across our galleries, Christie’s Summer Season is designed to inspire collectors and wider audiences alike.
Cecily Brown, The Haunter, 2010 – presented in Post-War to Present Live on 25 June. Estimate: £2,200,000-2,800,000
Post-War to Present (live – 25 June 2026) and online (18 June – 2 July 2026)
Post-War to Present brings together a compelling selection of works by leading post-war and contemporary artists. Featuring celebrated names alongside influential voices of today, the sale highlights the diversity and vitality of the current artistic landscape. Over 200 works will be offered across the live and online auctions, with estimates ranging from £100 to £2,800,000.
The highlight of the live sale is Cecily Brown’s The Haunter (2010) (estimate: £2,200,000-2,800,000), a spectacular example of the artist’s richly layered painting practice, where vibrant greens, blues, violets and ochres collide in a dynamic interplay of colour and texture. Evoking a fluid convergence of the human, natural and supernatural worlds, the work reflects Brown’s engagement with art history and literature, drawing on influences ranging from Francis Bacon and Georg Baselitz to the novels of Shirley Jackson. Brown is currently the subject of a major exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London.
Another important work offered is Günther Uecker’s Cut Soul, from 1984 (estimate: £500,000–700,000). Created in Arizona that year, this monumental diptych is a powerful example of Uecker’s iconic nail paintings. Executed during a period of creative expansion and travel, Cut Soul reflects the artist’s exploration of themes of rupture, resilience and renewal. Having remained in the same collection since 1984, the work has not been seen in public since its acquisition.
Christo’s L’Arc de Triomphe Wrapped (Project for Paris) Place de l’Etoile – Charles de Gaulle (2020) (estimate: £400,000–600,000) is among the final works completed during the artist’s lifetime. This collage is a preparatory study for L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, a project conceived in the 1960s and realised posthumously in Paris in 2021, becoming one of Christo’s most celebrated large-scale installations.
Other important lots include: Andy Warhol’s Jackie (1964) (estimate: £400,000-600,000), one of the most poignant works from his series of the same name, created in the months following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963; Howardena Pindell’s Webb from 2023 (estimate: £180,000-250,000) and Jonas Wood’s Wimbledon #6 (2013) (estimate: £80,000-120,000). Webb is a hypnotic example of Pindell’s celebrated ‘spray dot’ paintings – her signature technique, begun during the 1970s – immersing the viewer in a kaleidoscopic world of illusion, while Wimbledon #6 is part of Wood’s acclaimed tennis court series, in which he uses bold, Pop Art-inspired colour and real match graphics to depict the 2012 Wimbledon semifinal.
The live and online sales will also feature other significant works by artists spanning the past 70 years, such as David Hockney, Anselm Kiefer, Peter Doig, Christina Kimeze, Chris Ofili, Sterling Ruby, Tracey Emin, Raqib Shaw, and Francesca Woodman, among others.
This June, Christie’s is proud to partner with Arts Emergency, with a selection of works generously donated by leading artists including Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Brian Eno, Vanessa Raw, Mark Leckey, Jeremy Deller and Charlotte Colbert to be offered across Post-War to Present live and online auctions. Arts Emergency has indicated that the proceeds raised through these auctions will support Arts Emergency’s core programmes, including its 12-month mentoring programme for more than 300 under-resourced young people across the London, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, as well as helping fund community events, travel bursaries, networking opportunities and the Youth Collective, while contributing to the long-term sustainability of the organisation’s work. 100% of the hammer price of these works will benefit The Arts Emergency Service, a registered charity in the England and Wales, with charity number 1152377. Neil Griffiths, Arts Emergency Co-Founder and Co-CEO: “We’re grateful to these artists and to Christie’s London for showing what meaningful support looks like. Arts Emergency is a movement built on stories of possibility, hope, and change. When established artists mentor, support, and champion the next generation, they don’t just impact individual lives. They reshape the entire cultural ecosystem. That’s the power of solidarity and community.”
DREAM BIG (online until 30 September 2026)
DREAM BIG, Christie’s Private Sales’ online exhibition of monumental sculpture, returns this summer for its fifth edition. Running through September 2026, it brings together a dynamic selection of works by modern and contemporary artists spanning the 20th and 21stcenturies, with prices ranging from $145,000 to $5,000,000.
Among the highlights of the sale is Yayoi Kusama’s The Moment of Regeneration – created in 2004, a landmark year in the artist’s career, this colourful sculpture reflects her iconic polka-dot motif, inspired by childhood hallucinations and her upbringing in her family’s plant nursery. The work has been exhibited in major retrospectives at institutions including the Reina Sofía Museum, Madrid, Centre Pompidou, Paris, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai. Another key work offered is Marc Quinn’s Held by Desire, The Dimensions of Freedom (Cloud Garden), a five-metre-tall bronze sculpture that transforms the familiar form of a bonsai tree into a majestic meditation on humanity’s relationship with nature. This work was a highlight of Quinn’s 2024 exhibition Light into Life at Kew Gardens.
Also included in this selection is Fernando Botero’s monumental Reclining Venus, a unique bronze sculpture from 1989, which perfectly embodies the ideals of sensual volume and calm monumentality emblematic of Botero’s mature work, exemplifying both the classical grace of earlier Renaissance precedents and the enticing charms of the buxom actresses who may have captivated the imagination of the young Botero.
Lastly, Antony Gormley’s Think (2017) is stacked like a “house of cards’” that both replicates the fragility of a temporary balanced structure and references the megalithic stone of Stonehenge. This sculpture creates a powerful dialogue between contemporary architecture and humanity’s distant past.
Other artists included in DREAM BIG are François-Xavier Lalanne, Tony Cragg, Annie Morris, Jorge Jiménez Dereida, Igor Mitoraj, Bernar Venet, and Anish Kapoor, among others.
Picasso Ceramics – Online (9 –23 June 2026)
Christie’s is pleased to present Picasso Ceramics, an online-only sale running from 9 to 23 June 2026. The auction celebrates Pablo Picasso’s vibrant post-war creativity, expressed through his playful, richly coloured ceramics. These works reflect the artist’s celebrated joie de vivre; a spirit of renewal inspired by the light, colour and enduring traditions of the South of France, where the artist found fresh creative impetus in the years following the Second World War. With estimates ranging from £400 to £70,000, the sale offers over 100 pieces and represents a compelling opportunity for both new and seasoned collectors to acquire works by one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Leading the sale is Personnages et têtes (A.R. 242), (estimate: £50,000–70,000), conceived in 1954 and produced in a small, numbered edition of 25. This imposing and visually compelling vase depicts fauns, kouroi and mythological figures, evoking the traditions of ancient red- and black-figure pottery, reimagined within a bold, modern, square form. The sale also features the rare 1955 ceramic Chouette ébouriffée (A.R. 292) (estimate: £15,000-20,000), a limited-edition work that highlights Picasso’s enduring fascination with the owl motif – the piece possesses a strong, tactile quality thanks to its delicately hand-modelled beak and textured, ruffled plumage, its sculptural presence bringing the form vividly to life. Included in the auction are also two versions of Tête de femme couronnée de fleurs (A.R. 236 and 237) (estimate: £20,000-30,000). Though identical in form, these pitchers differ in their surface treatment – one understated and one vividly coloured – demonstrating Picasso’s inventive approach to transforming a single design through a few decisive, expressive brushstrokes. All information on the sale can be found here.
The Festival of Britain and its Legacy: 75 years of Modern British Art (15-24 June 2026)
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Festival of Britain and the artistic legacy of this landmark event, Christie’s is pleased to present a private selling exhibition showcasing British art from the past 75 years.
In 1951, as Britain emerged from the austerity of the post-war years, the Festival of Britain was held on London’s South Bank as a celebration of the nation’s cultural, technological and social achievements, while looking optimistically towards the future. Intended to provide a sense of renewal and optimism for a war-weary public, it was enthusiastically embraced, attracting more than 8.5 million visitors. As part of the Festival, 60 contemporary British artists were commissioned by the Arts Council to create large-scale works for display throughout the site under the banner 60 Paintings for ’51. The majority of these works are now held in public collections.
The selection presented in the sale includes work by artists who were involved in that landmark event, such as Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, Barbara Hepworth and William Scott, among others.
Beyond Ordinary – Then. Now. Next. Works from the Zabludowicz Collection.
Christie’s presents Beyond Ordinary – Then. Now. Next. Works from the Zabludowicz Collection as a highlight of its London Summer Season at King Street. For three decades, the Zabludowicz Collection has been a pioneering force in contemporary art. Founded in 1994 at a transformative moment in the British art scene, it quickly became known for its passionate support of young and emerging artists.
The works presented in this sale mark important moments in the careers of many artists, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire works of lasting cultural significance. Highlights include works by Philip Guston, Richard Prince, Damien Hirst, Mark Bradford, Yoshitomo Nara, Albert Oehlen, Antony Gormley, and Rose Wylie, among others.
South London Fine Art Gallery and Library (registered in England with charity number 312160) will receive a minimum of 80% of the sale price from each artwork included and sold in this exhibition.
LONDON SUMMER SEASON 2026 – JUNE CALENDAR
1 June – 30 September – DREAM BIG – online
3 – 23 June – Close Encounters: Figuration, Painting and Landscape in the Arts Council Collection
5 – 24 June – SLG Forever (online until 30 September)
9 – 23 June – Picasso Ceramics – online
15 – 24 June – The Festival of Britain and its Legacy: 75 years of Modern British Art
18 –30 June – Beyond Ordinary – Then. Now. Next. Works from the Zabludowicz Collection – online
18 June – 2 July – Post-War to Present – online
25 June – Beyond Ordinary – Then. Now. Next. Works from the Zabludowicz Collection – live sale
25 June – Post-War to Present – live sale
More info can be found on christies.com
