[2026 Spring Auction Summary] The Concluding Chapter of the Modern and Contemporary Art Auction: Beijing Poly Auction (24.06 million RMB) and Xiling Hangzhou Auction (73.83 million RMB)
The total transaction volume of the Modern and Contemporary Art section of Beijing Poly Auction in the Spring of 2026 reached 24.0614 million yuan, maintaining a slight increase compared with the same period last year. On this basis, a clearer stratification logic was presented - from the establishment of academic benchmarks, to the solid performance of the backbone, to the rational competition of emerging hot spots, and the expansion of the collector group by the paper-based no-reserve auction, together forming a collection picture with distinct layers and self-consistent logic.
With a solid main theme and a leading cover, Yu Youhan's classic masterpiece "2010.05.10," a representative work of Chinese abstract art, sold for 3.105 million yuan, leading the entire contemporary art sector and establishing a dual benchmark for the entire auction in terms of both academic merit and market appeal. In the 20th-century and mid-career art sector, Zhu Dequn's "1995.6.20" continued the market's stable demand for Asian abstract art masters; Leng Jun's "Bamboo and Rock" sold for 805,000 yuan, and Wang Yuping's "Self-Portrait with a Red Army Cap" for 713,000 yuan. These results confirm the market's continued recognition of the value of artists with a clear personal artistic language.
Emerging talents are flourishing in diverse ways. Several popular artists were highly sought after by collectors—Yan Bing's "Apricot Blossom No. 4" sold for 897,000 yuan; Ju Ting's "Amber" sold for 632,500 yuan, continuing its consistent market popularity; all three of Wang Fanseng's works sold successfully, with "Gandharva" fetching 782,000 yuan after more than 30 rounds of bidding, far exceeding its estimate; Jiang Miao's "The Cycle of Reincarnation No. 30" sold for 345,000 yuan after more than 15 rounds of bidding, exceeding its highest estimate; Xia Yu's "At a Certain Moment III" and "The Ping Pong Players" both sold for 241,500 yuan, exceeding their highest estimates. The continued enthusiasm in both the primary and secondary markets demonstrates the market's sustained attention and rational recognition of emerging talents.
The paper-based works sale achieved a 100% sell-glove rate. All 110 paper-based works in the "Contemporary Paper Collection" sale were sold. This collection, accumulated by the same collector over the past decade, includes works by renowned artists from home and abroad such as Zhou Chunya, Ding Yi, Zhang Enli, and Antony Gormley, presenting a rare and relaxed atmosphere. The no-reserve setting effectively lowered the entry barrier, fostering positive bidding interaction between new and established collectors, and becoming a crucial support for expanding the collector base and stimulating market liquidity this season.
Market Characteristics: A Return to intrinsic value. The most prominent feature was the return to intrinsic value of artworks, with professional collectors maintaining a rational approach and low starting prices stimulating broad participation. Beijing Poly's 2026 Spring Auction of Modern and Contemporary Art, with its stable sales and tiered pricing strategy, provided the market with a pragmatic benchmark for collectors.
Xiling Auction's 2026 Spring Oil Painting and Modern/Contemporary Art Sale was held on the evening of July 11th, achieving a total sales volume of 73,830,000 yuan.
At the auction, the works that particularly attracted collectors' attention were "Guan Liang's Treasured Works - A Collection of Oil Paintings and Watercolors Provided by His Family" and "Innocent Impressions - A Special Commemorative Work for the 120th Anniversary of Qin Xuanfu's Birth".
The latter marks the first large-scale appearance of Qin Xuanfu's works at auction, showcasing the artist's career through representative works from different periods and reshaping the market positioning of the veteran artist in the form of an anniversary celebration.
This spring auction also features two significant works of classic revolutionary art: an oil painting by Xiao Feng and Song Ren, featuring illustrations of Norman Bethune that have appeared in several editions of primary and secondary school Chinese textbooks; and Feng Fasi's iconic masterpiece, Liu Hulan. Both works garnered significant attention from viewers and media during the preview period and received positive bids at the auction, proving their worth.
