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The year 2025, marked globally by wars and political tensions, proved unexpectedly dynamic for the art world. After signs of recovery compared to 2024, the international art market witnessed a series of record-breaking auction sales.
Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer was sold for $236.4 million, earning the title of the most expensive modern painting ever sold at auction.
Frida Kahlo’s El Sueno followed with a $54.7 million sale, setting a new record as the most expensive artwork by a female artist sold at auction.
Meanwhile, Vincent van Gogh’s Romans Parisiens reached $62.7 million, marking a new price record among the artist’s works from his Paris period.
According to data from ArtTactic, the global auction market grew by approximately 11,1% compared to 2024, reaching a total value of $4.55 billion.
So why were these records broken? Do major art acquisitions signal an impending global crisis or war, as some claims circulating on social media suggest?
Speaking to Türkiye daily, auctioneer and antiques expert Raffi Portakal described 2025 as a generally strong year for the global art market.
“Globally, we had a good year in 2025. In Türkiye, it was a calmer year, but it would be unfair to call it a bad one,” Portakal said.
Addressing the back-to-back records, he added:
“Money is accumulating. The sociological and economic direction of the world creates such an environment. Some interpret this as pre-war buying. Yes, many parts of the world are unstable. But I prefer to say ‘wait and see.’ When we look back historically, the auction world has always witnessed record-breaking sales.”
Gallery owner and art consultant Sabiha Kurtulmus also emphasized that both global and domestic agendas in 2025 inevitably influenced the art world.
“At the moment, we are trying to recover. A high-quality artwork is always an effective investment tool. I do not think auctions are as powerful as they once were, but when the right works come to market, they can still achieve record prices,” she said.
Kurtulmus highlighted one of the most significant developments of the year:
“In my view, the most important aspect of 2025 was that works by women artists began selling for record prices.”
“Art has always been a valuable asset during periods of crisis,” Kurtulmus noted, adding:
“Knowing that you can sell artworks before or during a war provides a sense of security. That is why, throughout history, paintings have been stored in vaults alongside gold bars. One of the reasons why some of the world’s most influential families became patrons of museums is precisely this.”
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