Surrealism Outsold Impressionism and Hong Kong Stole the Spotlight

Art auctions in 2024 delivered a plot twist: despite global uncertainty, the year’s top sale was a surrealist masterpiece, not an Impressionist classic. René Magritte’s luminous L’empire des lumières fetched over $121 million, setting a new record for Surrealism and eclipsing even Monet’s water lilies. Three key shifts defined the season: - Auction totals continued to dip, with only one work crossing the $100 million mark, compared to six just two years ago. - Hong Kong reemerged as a major player, hosting three of the ten priciest sales and prompting global houses to expand their presence in the city. - Female artists made incremental gains, with Leonora Carrington’s dreamlike canvas breaking records and Surrealism’s centennial drawing fresh attention to overlooked creators. From Basquiat’s mythic figures to Warhol’s vivid blooms, the year’s top lots revealed a market in flux—where old favorites meet new icons, and the next surprise is always just under the hammer. #ArtMarket2024 #Surrealism100 #AuctionRecords #Culture