Contrary to historical belief, the art market is not confined to male artists, as evidenced by the strong performance of women artists at recent auctions, where their works have fetched significantly exorbitant prices. According to the recent report curated by ArtTactic, a total of 1,148 women artists were represented at major auctions in 2024, a 131.9% increase since 2018. The report covered and analyzed auctions of fine art from January 1, 2018 to May 31, 2025 at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips.
The report states that the most impressive highlights in the art market come from the May 2025 round of auctions of women artists’ work in New York. In this historic mark of sales, Christie’s achieved $13.6 M for Marlene Dumas’s 1997 portrait Miss January, which was touted as the highest price ever paid at the auction for a living woman artist. Some of the other contemporary women artists who pulled off record-breaking sales are Hugo Boss Prize-winner Simone Leigh (for Sentinel IV, 2020, $5.7 million, at Christie’s), Emma McIntyre (Up bubbles her amorous breath, 2021, $201,600, at Christie’s) and Ilana Savdie (Imperial diet, y otros demonios, 2021, $228,600, at Phillips). The three artists still actively produce art and hold their names in the Top 50 Woman Power Rank list.
In addition to the living women artists, historic women artists also showed great resilience and strength. Among them, Surrealists Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Expressionist Joan Mitchell hold their name in the Top 50 Woman Power Rank list. This comes when the recent auction activity set a soaring price of Varo (Revelación” $6.2 million, at Christie’s) and her fellow Surrealist Dorothea Tanning (Endgame, 1944, $2.3 million at Christie’s), as well as Abstract Expressionist Grace Hartigan (The Fourth, 1959, $1.6 million at Phillips) and Pop artist Kiki Kogelnik (Rainy, 1973, $355,600 at Phillips).
The report gives a deep insight into women artists’ market trends from 2018 to May 2025 by a thorough comparison with their male counterparts. It states that between 2018 and 2024, auction sales by women artists grew from $523.7 million to $675.6 million, nearly doubling their share of the global art market from 6.2% to 13.8%. In addition to this, a change in collectible habits and market share is also noted. Among the top women artists, the young ones and contemporary artists saw the strongest drive of growth over the last 7 years, which is a remarkable feature.
Another key finding of the report is that women artists from the South, including the regions of Global South – Africa, Latin America, and Asia are increasingly witnessing an increased art market. Top women artists from the Global South include Leonora Carrington (1917-2011), Julie Mehretu (b. 1970), Frida Kahlo (1907-54), and Marlene Dumas (b. 1953). Lastly, auctions held in New York account for 62.7% of sales value and 55.4% of lots in 2024. London also gained ground. The entire report can be read from here.
Featured Image: The Fourth by Grace Hartigan; Phillips Auction House.
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