London’s art market gears up for March auctions: Sotheby’s backs the Royal Academy as Christie’s unveils a Kandinsky masterpiece

London is entering a pivotal week in the spring auction calendar: Sotheby’s aims to raise £2.6 million in support of the Royal Academy of Arts, while Christie’s prepares to offer a masterpiece by Wassily Kandinsky with a high estimate of £15.5 million. Together, the March sales bring two parallel narratives into focus — financial backing for one of Britain’s oldest artistic institutions and the return of museum-quality 20th-century works to the market. Afisha.London shares the details.

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Sotheby’s will present ten works donated by serving Royal Academicians and Honorary RA’s to support the institution as it navigates ongoing financial challenges in the post-pandemic climate. Among the headline lots are a tapestry by El Anatsui (£800,000-£1.2 million) and a work by Sean Scully (£600,000-£800,000), both featured in the evening sale on 4 March. Works by William Kentridge, Tony Cragg, Georg Baselitz, Anish Kapoor, Mimmo Paladino and Jeff Koons will appear in the day sale on 5 March.

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Founded in 1768, the Royal Academy receives no direct government funding and relies on ticket sales and sponsorship. Last year, it considered cutting up to 60 staff positions amid rising operational costs and shifting visitor behaviour. The forthcoming auction is expected to provide crucial financial support.

Meanwhile, Christie’s is placing its bet on Modernism. The leading lot of the 5 March evening sale will be Kandinsky’s Le Rond Rouge (1939), carrying a high estimate of £15.5 million (approximately $21.3 million). The painting was created in Paris, where the artist relocated from Germany in 1933 to escape the Nazi regime. Le Rond Rouge will be on view to the public at Christie’s London from 25 February 2026 as part of the 20/21 Marquee Week exhibition.

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Distinguished by its bold red circle at the centre, the work is regarded as a key example of Kandinsky’s late Paris period, blending Bauhaus abstraction with Surrealist influences. The painting remained in the artist’s personal collection until his death in 1944, after which it passed to his widow, Nina. It last appeared at auction at Sotheby’s New York in 2018, achieving $20.6 million.

Also among Christie’s top lots is Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture King and Queen (1952–53), with an estimate of up to £15 million.

Cover photo: Wassily Kandinsky’s “Le Rond Rouge” / Christie’s

https://www.museumcat.london/event-info/kak-impressionisty-pridumali-svet

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