One of the Art Market's Biggest Secrets, Revealed

About this episode

The episode discusses the resurgence of the art market, focusing on private auctions and insights from industry experts.

What a difference 12 months makes! After years of declining sales in the auction realm, there are finally signs of life. The Artnet Intelligence Report: The Year Ahead 2026 reveals that global auction totals were up 13.3 percent in 2025 versus 2024. The full report, rich with new findings, is now available as a crisp PDF. The price? Free. (We hope that its contents will inspire you to subscribe to Artnet Pro, and to partake of the Artnet Price Database.) In the report’s cover story, “Dark Mode,” Artnet’s Art Detective columnist, Katya Kazakina, delves into the intriguing and shadowy world of private auctions, where big-league paintings (and cars, jewelry, and more) trade behind closed doors, for enormous sums. In some cases, only certain collectors are invited. Many in this clandestine business seem to enjoy it, and Kazakina charts the major players and their strategies. Meanwhile, in wide-ranging interviews, an auctioneer (maverick Joe Maddalena), an auctioneer-turned advisor (powerhouse Patti Wong), and an auctioneer-turned dealer (rainmaker David Schrader) share their insights on the changing state of play in public salesrooms. And Margaret Carrigan, who helms The Back Room…

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Russeth

Guest: Katya Kazakina

Topics covered

• art market
• private auctions
• auction sales
• art industry insights
• Intelligence Report
• art collectors
• auctioneers

Keywords

• art market
• private auctions
• auction sales
• Intelligence Report
• art collectors
• auctioneers
• art industry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Artnet Pro, Artnet, The Back Room, Artnet Price Database

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