The global *fine art* auction market ended 2025 on a strong note, posting a transaction volume of $11.7 billion, or approximately 10.5 billion euros. This 13.3% increase compared to the previous year—driven by a spectacular 25.3% surge in the U.S. market—outlines a landscape where caution is now coupled with a search for established historical values. It is against this backdrop of a selective recovery that experts from the Artnet platform reveal their priorities for September 2026 in their monthly curatorial selection titled “What Artnet Auctions Specialists Can’t Stop Thinking About This Month.”
The Shift Toward American Modernism
An analysis of recent trends highlights a paradigm shift among collectors. For the fourth consecutive year, the ultra-contemporary art segment has stalled, experiencing a decline that is redirecting capital toward categories deemed more resilient. At the top of the list, American modernism has emerged this month as one of the major areas of focus for Artnet Auctions specialists. The spotlight on an exemplary work by a master of this movement responds to a growing demand for artists whose place in art history is firmly established.
This return to the roots—which also encompasses Impressionism and classical modern art—reflects a desire to secure investments in an economic climate that, while dynamic, now rejects rampant speculation on emerging artists. As early as 2025, the “Artnet Intelligence Report: The Year Ahead 2026” had already anticipated this shift toward established values. Experts note that buyers favor works with a clear provenance and recognized academic significance—criteria that American modernism fulfills with a consistency that provides reassurance for institutional and private portfolios.
Photography and Metaphor: A New Depth
Photography takes center stage in this September 2026 edition. The selection focuses on works that employ visual metaphors—an approach that goes beyond mere documentation to explore the medium’s expressive potential. This focus follows in the footsteps of previous summer editions, where major figures of the 20th and 21st centuries—such as Cindy Sherman, Irving Penn, and Henri Cartier-Bresson—dominated the discussions.
Interest in classic photography remains strong, with experts seeing it as a stable investment opportunity. Close collaboration with the estates of leading artists—as highlighted last August—strengthens buyers’ confidence in the digital secondary market. By offering prints whose authenticity and provenance are rigorously verified, Artnet Auctions is responding to the rise of private sales and online auctions—two formats that are growing alongside traditional physical venues.
The Appeal of Unique Pieces and Royal Portraits
Among the lots catching the attention of experts this month is a unique royal portrait. Due to their rarity and symbolic significance, works of this type are often immune to cyclical market fluctuations. Portraiture, as a genre, is experiencing a resurgence of interest when associated with illustrious provenance or unique historical contexts. This piece is part of a niche strategy where uniqueness takes precedence over mass production, thereby complementing the *Pop Art* offering that continues to appeal to a loyal base of collectors, as reaffirmed during the August 2026 auction.
A Business Model Strengthened by Finance
The sustainability of these monthly selections rests on the structure of Artnet AG. Founded in 1990 by Hans Neuendorf and now led by Jacob Pabst, the company reached a strategic milestone in July 2025. The investment firm Beowulff Capital Management acquired a stake in the company at an estimated valuation of 65 million euros. This acquisition underscores the strength of the platform’s “online-only sales” model.
Unlike traditional auction houses, whose calendars are punctuated by major seasonal sales, Artnet Auctions maintains continuous activity in targeted categories: modern art, contemporary art, prints, and photography. This digital agility allows for an immediate response to market shifts, capturing capital wherever it flows—particularly toward the United States, which is posting the sector’s strongest growth with a 25.3% jump in public sales over the past year.
Although the overall transaction volume is massive—$11.7 billion in 2025—it does not account for all informal private transactions, a segment in which Artnet also operates through its over-the-counter services. This blend of precise market data (via the Artnet Price Database) and curatorial expertise allows specialists to guide collectors toward works that, beyond their aesthetic appeal, meet the demands of a market seeking maturity. The selections for September 2026—ranging from rigorous modernism to photographic metaphors—confirm this underlying trend: art is now purchased with the eye of a historian and the precision of a financier.