Does the art market lose a spark? Sales decrease again in 2025 star-news.press/wp

The world’s largest auction houses feel cold.

Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips brought $ 3.98 billion in the first half of 2025, according to new numbers of ArtTCTIC – a 6 % decrease from last year and 44 % amazing less than 2022, CNBC reports. This makes this the weakest of the first half a decade (aside from the epidemic aside) and represents the third year in a row in which sales declined.

The most difficult category? After war and contemporary art, which decreased 19 %.

Wealth is prosperous – so why do people not buy art?

This decrease comes at a strange time. The richest 10 % of Americans added 37 trillion dollars to their net wealth since 2020, thanks to the increasing stocks, real estate and business assessments. Historically, more wealth means more spending on art. This time, not much.

One interpretation can be generations. Baby Boomer Colleges – who have spent contracts building large technical groups – buy less and in some cases are sold. Millennium and General Z, at the same time, they seem to have different tastes.

They offer online bids, prefer smaller business less than $ 50,000, and show more interest in luxury goods and digital culture more than $ 10 million. In Christie, 80 % of bids now come onlineAnd about a third of the winning offers are the millennium or General Z.

Welfare stands up

While fine arts soften, jewelry, watches, handbags, wine and cars are held. Jewelry jumped in particular 68 % in the first half of 2025.

Christie’s luxury sales increased 29 %With outstanding points including Pink Diamond Marie Theerrez of $ 14 million and $ 11 million blue Blue Belle. Sotheby also occupied newspaper headlines in May, selling $ 21.5 million for “Mediterranean” diamonds.

The big question is whether these declines are merely slowing after childbirth or a sign of something more permanent with changing tastes and defining the younger university tone. Currently, high-end art sales are slowed while sectors with low and luxurious prices continue to grow-and the industry is quickly adapted.