NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's Contemporary New York Sales kicked off to a strong start on Thursday, February 26, 2026, with Post-War to Present totaling $32,023,889, selling 80% by lot and 92% by value. The sale achieved the highest total to-date for a Post-War to Present sale in the spring.

The sale began with the single-owner grouping: Temple of Style: The Barbara Jakobson Collection which made $11,054,665, selling 100% by value. The group was led by Jeff Koons' Winter Bears which realized $7,639,000, more than doubling its low estimate of $3,800,000—the highest price for an artwork ever sold by any auction house in a mid-season sale. Additional top lots from the collection included Homage to the Square: Insight by Josef Albers, which sold for $952,500, and an untitled work by Robert Morris, which more than doubled its low estimate to sell for $330, 200. Additional works from Barbara Jakobson's collection are on offer in the dedicated online sale, open for bidding through March 4, 2026.

More exceptional results came throughout the three-session sale for a range of artists and collections, with notable results for The Collection of Robert and Ann Fisher, led by Cy Twombly's Roman Notes, which sold for $1,104,900. Further leading highlights included Strike by Helen Frankenthaler, which realized $1,492,250, and Portrait by Roy Lichtenstein, which realized $1,130,300.

Latin American Art also saw incredibly strong results for the category—three notable examples include two works by Olga de Amaral, Obra 500 from The Collection of Elaine Wynn, which sold for $698,500, and Paisaje heredado 3, which achieved $698,500, along with Eloquence by Agustín Cárdenas, which nearly tripled its low estimate, selling for $228,600. Notably, Outsider Art was incorporated for the first time in Post-War to Present, led by a rare, embroidered textile by Madge Gill—the first to be sold in 50 years, and the first to ever come to auction. The work achieved $120,650, setting a new record for the artist.

Artist Records

• Madge Gill, Untitled; Price Realized: $120,650
• Sheila Hicks, Untitled; Price Realized: $254,000
• Gloria Klein, Untitled; Price Realized: $30,480
• Mary Abbott, Southampton Sand; Price Realized: $209,550
• Lawrence Weiner, WATER UNDER A BRIDGE; Price Realized: $203,200