UK

The United Kingdom accounts for more than one fifth of the global art market sales and is the second biggest art market after the US.

Through auctioneers, dealers, fairs and markets - and a burgeoning online sector - buyers, collectors and sellers of art and antiques can easily access a vibrant network of intermediaries and events around the country. The UK's museums also house a wealth of impressive collections

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Wedding day not sale day: a Winterton family celebration

07 August 2026

A double celebration took place at Richard Winterton Auctioneers when two members of staff wed.

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Another bite into Monreith House treats includes a Vampyre tale

07 August 2026

Following furnishings in Edinburgh, a Carlisle sale offers books from the library of Clan Maxwell seat

2755 Firmin Sale Bagpuss £1850

Bagpuss, Ivor, Noggin and friends star at auction

06 August 2026

Around 500 original artworks by the late Peter Firmin (1928-2018) – co-creator of Bagpuss, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, The Clangers and Basil Brush – were sold in a remarkable sale at Canterbury Auction Galleries.

One of the earliest X-Rays

Cotswolds Deco: a fair with the X factor

05 August 2026

A magic lantern slide showing one of Britain’s earliest X-ray images is among the more unusual items heading to this summer’s Cotswolds Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair.

Mizzen Topsail Luggers by Alfred Wallis

Alfred Wallis painting owned by potter Bernard Leach sails away at Lay’s

04 August 2026

The exceptional provenance of a trademark Alfred Wallis (1855-1942) painting gave it a commercial boost when it appeared at Lay’s (21% buyer’s premium) latest sale of Cornish Art in Penzance.

The Artist's Mother by Harold Gilman

Harold Gilman’s portrait of his mother quadruples estimate at Gorringe’s

03 August 2026

If close personal connections between artist and sitter can raise the value of a portrait, then you might expect a picture by a celebrated artist of his mother to do rather well when offered on the market.

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Hammer total climbs to nearly £35,000 at auction for Arthur Wakefield archive detailing the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition

03 August 2026

A fascinating archive of diaries and photographs shedding light on the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition has sold for almost £35,000 in total at auction.

Triqueti Campbell Medallion

Oxfordshire country house buys Triqueti portrait sculpture of a scandalous Victorian heiress after successful fundraising campaign

31 July 2026

A rare portrait sculpture of a scandalous Victorian heiress that sold at auction has been acquired by Buscot Park following a temporary export bar.

Portrait of Laura Knight by Harold Knight

Harold and Laura Knight: A husband-and-wife duo with major saleroom presence

29 July 2026

A portrait of the artist Laura Knight (1874-1970) by her husband Harold Knight (1874-1961) sounds like the kind of work always likely to generate interest at auction. And this is especially so if it happens to be previously unrecorded and offered with an inviting estimate.

SOFAA dinner

Autumn events calendar for Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers (SOFAA) includes its ‘New Generation’ launch

29 July 2026

The autumn events schedule for the Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers (SOFAA) has been announced with many events aimed at the younger generation of members.

Madge Gill postcard

Postcards by self-taught artist Madge Gill come to Sworders for selling show

28 July 2026

Postcards by the so-called ‘outsider’ artist Madge Gill (1882-1961) are being offered in a selling show in Cecil Court, London this month.

Titanic and Olympic tickets

Titanic rarity: White Star tickets fly above estimate in Dorset auction

27 July 2026

A sale at Duke’s in Dorchester this week included two tickets related to the launching of two of the Olympic class liners in Belfast in 1911.

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Original Bagpuss artwork is among five lots to watch

27 July 2026

With estimates from £200, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week

Portrait by Katherine Read

Fake or Fortune discovery: Earliest recorded painting of an Indian sitter by a European female artist emerges

24 July 2026

A picture wrapped in a sleeping bag and brought to the Fake or Fortune? team for investigation is the earliest recorded painting of an Indian sitter by a European female artist.

Otto Hoffmann figurine

Auctioneer wins lengthy battle over Ivory Act exemption

24 July 2026

A Suffolk auction house has successfully received an exemption certificate for an early 20th century ivory figure following a complex appeals process.

Grays Antique Market

Shops and centres braced for business rate changes and confusion as new rules kick in

24 July 2026

The art and antiques market is braced to fight rising business rates following government changes in the spring.

John Singer Sargent watercolour

Why the John Singer Sargent market remains a trans-Atlantic affair

24 July 2026

Artistically and commercially, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is a giant that straddles the Atlantic.

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Roman mosaic panels roam to London saleroom via Austria

24 July 2026

A recent sale of ancient art at Apollo Art Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) included a series of Roman polychrome mosaic panels that came for sale from a private London collection.

A 1982 World Cup poster

Places to pick up a football poster

24 July 2026

It’s all over for another four years, the tears, the cheers, the clashes and the cards at the World Cup.

Fairs coming up soon...

24 July 2026

A selection of three fairs in different parts of the country taking place in August

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