NEW YORK, NY.- This was a monumental Americana Week that commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence by capturing the attention of collectors, connoisseurs, the media, and the general public. Christie's offered 678 lots, in nine sales, over two weeks, earning $149,128,688. From presidential ephemera, to foundational documents, folk art, to masterpieces of American painting, lots of all shapes, sizes, media, and levels of value soared past their estimates, driving the sales to a global 93 percent sold by lot, and 171 percent sold hammer and buyer's premium against low estimate. Perhaps no lot was more emblematic of the sales varied offerings than President Jimmy Carter's painting Steeple: offered online during The American Collector, the painting generated intense interest on a national scale, and sold for $203,200, which is 34 times its low estimate of $6,000.
The two weeks of sales comprised four different auction series. Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection Evening Sale and Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection Day Sale totaled $84,122,305 – more than three times the prior record for a single-owner Western Art auction. The top lot was Frederic Remington's masterpiece, Coming to the Call, which set the record for a Remington work at $13,285,000. We the People: America at 250 and The American Collector filled the role of the traditional Americana sales, with their mix of important historical documents and books to singular works of art and craftsmanship in a variety of media. The top lot of the “Americana” sales was a printed copy of a working draft of the Constitution with handwritten edits by a founding father, Rufus King, more than doubled its low estimate, making $7,395,000. Four auctions were devoted to COLLECTOR/CNNOISSEUR: The Max N. Berry Collections, these were: an American Art Evening Sale; an American Art Day Sale; an American Art Online Sale; and an unprecedented online sale devoted to Monotypes by Maurice Brazil Prendergast. The top lot of the series was a painting by Maurice Prendergast, The Bridle Path, Central Park, which made $2,332,000. The annual 19th Century American and Western Art was headed by Sanford Robinson Gifford's Sunset Over the Palisades on the Hudson, which fetched $2,881,000.
The President of Christie's Americas, Julien Pradels, said: “The biggest Americana Week in Christie's history brought packed galleries, spirited bidding, and excited energy to the heart of New York City. With nearly 700 incredible objects shared in beautiful public displays and with expert storytelling, the week shattered records and showcased the best of the Christie's team and its specialists. We're proud that we brought fireworks to the start of the nation's 250 birthday and look forward to the rest of this important year, including Classic Week, with a stunning view of Venice by Canaletto and a rare Michelangelo red-chalk study for the Sistine Chapel. "
See below for a list of the Americana Week sales and their totals.
20 JAN 2026 | Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection Evening Sale
Total: $69,424,350
21 JAN 2026 | Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection Day Sale
Total: $14,697,955
22 JAN 2026 | COLLECTOR/CONNOISSEUR: The Max N. Berry Collections; American Art Evening Sale
Total: $13,527,130
23 JAN 2026 | We the People: America at 250
Total $35,562,465
23 JAN 2026 | COLLECTOR/CONNOISSEUR: The Max N. Berry Collections; American Art Day Sale
Total: $3,020,822
23 JAN 2026 | 19th Century American and Western Art
Total: $8,282,310
13 JAN 11AM – 27 JAN 11AM EST | The American Collector
Total: $3,828,923
19 DEC – 27 JAN 2025 | COLLECTOR/CONNOISEUR: The Max N. Berry Collections American Art Online
Total: $466,598
9 DEC – 27 JAN 2025 | COLLECTOR/CONNOISSEUR: The Max N. Berry Collections Monotypes by Maurice Brazil Prendergast Online
Total: $318,135
