Auctions | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/auctions/RSS feed for AuctionsenThu, 15 Oct 2026 18:03:46 +0000Venetian Artist Canaletto Merged Fantasy and Architectural Detail in This Previously Unseen Sketch, Heading to Auction This Monthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venetian-artist-canaletto-merged-fantasy-and-architectural-detail-in-this-previously-unseen-sketch-heading-to-auction-this-month-180989692/The 18th-century painter was a key practitioner of "capriccio" artworks, which blended scenes of everyday life with bold, out-of-place structures. This work was not known to exist for centuries and could now fetch up to $80,000Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:03:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venetian-artist-canaletto-merged-fantasy-and-architectural-detail-in-this-previously-unseen-sketch-heading-to-auction-this-month-180989692/This Vincent van Gogh Painting Has Not Been Seen in Public for Over 60 Years. It Is Now Poised to Set a Record at an Upcoming Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-vincent-van-gogh-painting-has-not-been-seen-in-public-for-over-60-years-it-is-now-poised-to-set-a-record-at-an-upcoming-auction-180989680/The Dutch Post-Impressionist painted "Chestnut Trees in Blossom" during the highly productive yet tragic final months of his life. It is heading to auction as part of a "legendary" private collection which also includes works from Cézanne and RenoirWed, 14 Oct 2026 17:28:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-vincent-van-gogh-painting-has-not-been-seen-in-public-for-over-60-years-it-is-now-poised-to-set-a-record-at-an-upcoming-auction-180989680/J.M.W. Turner Painted This Breathtaking Roman Landscape Nearly 200 Years Ago. If You Look Closely, You Can Still See His Fingerprintshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jmw-turner-painted-this-breathtaking-roman-landscape-nearly-200-years-ago-if-you-look-closely-you-can-still-see-his-fingerprints-180989659/The Romantic painter completed "Rome, From Mount Aventine" in the 1830s. It became his most expensive artwork in 2014, and it's expected to sell for another record-breaking sum in DecemberThu, 08 Oct 2026 18:56:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jmw-turner-painted-this-breathtaking-roman-landscape-nearly-200-years-ago-if-you-look-closely-you-can-still-see-his-fingerprints-180989659/Stanley Kubrick's Personal Archive Is Going Up for Auction, Including the Ax From 'The Shining' and the Star Child From '2001: A Space Odyssey'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stanley-kubricks-personal-archive-is-going-up-for-auction-including-the-ax-from-the-shining-and-the-star-child-from-2001-a-space-odyssey-180989632/The legendary director’s on-set chair, annotated scripts and props give a glimpse into the meticulous moviemaking process behind films like "Full Metal Jacket" and "Eyes Wide Shut"Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:48:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stanley-kubricks-personal-archive-is-going-up-for-auction-including-the-ax-from-the-shining-and-the-star-child-from-2001-a-space-odyssey-180989632/This Cubist Painting With a Mysterious Provenance Hung in the Art Institute of Chicago for Decades. Now, the Museum Will Return It to Its Rightful Jewish Heirshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-cubist-painting-with-a-mysterious-provenance-hung-in-the-art-institute-of-chicago-for-decades-now-the-museum-will-return-it-to-its-rightful-jewish-heirs-180989553/Infrared imaging links the 20th-century Jean Metzinger work to a collector whose pieces were forcibly auctioned under Nazi orders during World War IIWed, 23 Sep 2026 20:18:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-cubist-painting-with-a-mysterious-provenance-hung-in-the-art-institute-of-chicago-for-decades-now-the-museum-will-return-it-to-its-rightful-jewish-heirs-180989553/Claude Monet’s Long-Hidden ‘Iris’ Is About to Become the Most Expensive Painting Ever Auctioned in Francehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/claude-monets-long-hidden-iris-is-about-to-become-the-most-expensive-painting-ever-auctioned-in-france-180989546/The artwork reflects the famed Impressionist’s later, abstract style. Sotheby’s estimates that it will sell for $25 million to $34 millionTue, 22 Sep 2026 19:12:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/claude-monets-long-hidden-iris-is-about-to-become-the-most-expensive-painting-ever-auctioned-in-france-180989546/Bought for $30 at an Estate Sale, This Long-Lost Gertrude Abercrombie Painting Could Now Fetch $250,000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bought-for-30-at-an-estate-sale-this-long-lost-gertrude-abercrombie-painting-could-now-fetch-250000-180989513/The Chicago-based Surrealist created the piece in 1951, then gave it to a doctor in exchange for medical servicesThu, 17 Sep 2026 18:02:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bought-for-30-at-an-estate-sale-this-long-lost-gertrude-abercrombie-painting-could-now-fetch-250000-180989513/A Rare Marble Sculpture by America’s First Professional Female Sculptor Sat Hidden in Plain Sight for Decades in an English Gardenhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-marble-sculpture-by-americas-first-professional-female-sculptor-sat-hidden-in-plain-sight-for-decades-in-english-garden-180989508/Until its discovery during a house appraisal, the debut bust by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer, a celebrated artist and feminist icon, had been mistaken for an ordinary garden ornamentThu, 17 Sep 2026 14:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-marble-sculpture-by-americas-first-professional-female-sculptor-sat-hidden-in-plain-sight-for-decades-in-english-garden-180989508/Princess Diana's 'Revenge Dress' Is Heading to Auction for the First Time in Nearly 30 Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/princess-dianas-revenge-dress-is-heading-to-auction-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-30-years-180989492/The fashion icon wore the strapless silk frock the same day her then-estranged husband publicly admitted to having an affairMon, 14 Sep 2026 15:58:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/princess-dianas-revenge-dress-is-heading-to-auction-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-30-years-180989492/A ‘Legendary’ 132-Year-Old Dime Recently Sold for More Than $1.2 Million at Auction. What Makes It So Extraordinary?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-legendary-132-year-old-dime-recently-sold-for-more-than-12-million-at-auction-what-makes-it-so-extraordinary-180989476/Only 24 of the 1894-S Barber dimes were minted in San Francisco in June 1894, and just nine known specimens exist todayWed, 09 Sep 2026 19:33:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-legendary-132-year-old-dime-recently-sold-for-more-than-12-million-at-auction-what-makes-it-so-extraordinary-180989476/Historic Trove of Monets, Renoirs and Other Impressionist Masterpieces Expected to Fetch Up to $50 Million on Auction Block This Fallhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-trove-of-monets-renoirs-and-other-impressionist-masterpieces-expected-to-fetch-up-to-50-million-on-auction-block-this-fall-180989448/More than 60 paintings from the private estate of Paul Durand-Ruel, who shepherded Impressionism out from obscurity, will be up for saleThu, 03 Sep 2026 17:16:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-trove-of-monets-renoirs-and-other-impressionist-masterpieces-expected-to-fetch-up-to-50-million-on-auction-block-this-fall-180989448/The Soccer Ball Used for Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ World Cup Goal Sells for $3.35 Million at Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/soccer-ball-used-for-diego-maradona-hand-of-god-world-cup-goal-sells-at-auction-180989392/Despite its role in one of the most famous games in soccer history, the historic piece of sports memorabilia fell short of its $10 million pre-sale estimateWed, 26 Aug 2026 17:02:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/soccer-ball-used-for-diego-maradona-hand-of-god-world-cup-goal-sells-at-auction-180989392/