Christie’s is getting in early with Independence Day celebrations by holding a landmark sale on January 23 titled We the People: America at 250. It includes this contemporary broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence from July 1776. The estimate is $3m-5m.
What are you looking forward to most in 2026? In this issue of ATG we bring you listings of notable events taking place this year including museum exhibitions, UK and international art, antiques and antiquarian book fairs as well as anniversaries that may prompt dealer shows or specialist auctions to respond to heightened buyer interest.
You may simply, and reasonably, be hoping for a less turbulent year than 2025.
Fair enough, and in some ways your wish may be granted.
For example, we expect less turbulence in the UK fairs scene. Mid-size events that were struggling – such as the summer and winter fairs at Olympia and the Mayfair Antiques & Fine Art & Fair – are no longer on the roster and speculation about whether they will take place has ended. A few other fairs have been taken over by established players. The Norfolk Antiques Fair and the National Antiques Fair of Wales at Builth Wells are now under the IACF banner, for instance, while the same organiser trimmed the event at Stoneleigh from its list.
Market forces
We can also be confident about some categories selling well this year. Indian art got on a roll last year and the trade expects a busy 2026 in this market, both in India where white-glove art auctions are becoming commonplace, and internationally where Indian buyers, who now have the wealth to compete for and repatriate cherished items, have become serious players. The market for royal memorabilia should also be buoyant this year as the UK marks the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth. It is also 125 years since the death of Queen Victoria.
The burgeoning market for sport memorabilia is also set for a busy time. Collectors have reached an age where they have plenty of disposable income and can expect a good pipeline of items coming up.
This will be due not only to a few older long-established dealers potentially choosing to sell up, and to former sportsmen and women reaching an age where they would like to pass on their own collection, but also to 2026 being a football World Cup year.
Quite how FIFA’s flagship event will fare when part of it is taking place in President Trump’s turbulent backyard is one thing, but buyers at auction will certainly be looking out for suitable items as the summer looms.
Independence Day
What may play better in the US when it comes to interest in history, art and antiques is the 250th anniversary of American Independence. To say that there will be no shortage of events would be something of an understatement. Take your pick from highlights including:
• The National Museum of American History in Washington DC which has “a story so big we need the entire museum to tell it!”.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will “present a suite of art installations and programmes…to mark the semiquincentennial anniversary”.
• In Philadelphia, the Museum of the American Revolution’s exhibition The Declaration’s Journey already opened three months ago. It “delves into the narratives of nearly 20 countries whose independence movements were inspired by the words of our nation’s founding document, as well as stories of how Americans applied and grappled with these ideals from the 18th century through to today”.
• Not to be outdone, the UK is marking the event, too. Revolution 250: The Making of the USA at the National Archives in Richmond opens on May 23 and features some significant letters, papers, maps and documents of that period, including a rare Dunlap print of the Declaration of Independence itself. Also on display will be a regulatory change that lit the blue touch paper: the Tea Act which ultimately led to the Boston Tea Party.
Rules and regulations
Fast forward 250 years… can the art market go 12 months without some new regulatory upheaval in 2026?
We cannot make any guarantees here about further changes to US tariffs but we do wonder whether some sort of resolution can be brought to the thorny topic of EU regulations on importing cultural goods which came into force in June last year.
How does a private buyer living in the EU buy an antique older than 200 years from outside the Union – say in the UK or US – and import it successfully when the new rules prevent them from registering to even start the new bureaucratic process? It became apparent that only businesses can register for an EU EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) number whereas individuals cannot.
For the past few months it has been a case of buyer and seller beware. So much so, that Bonhams understandably added the following clause to its terms and conditions to specifically rule out this piece of EU bureaucracy as a reason to cancel an auction purchase:
From 28 June 2025, the import into the EU of non-EU property of a certain age (and in some categories above a certain value) is subject to additional requirements. Under the relevant EU Regulation, it is the Buyer’s sole responsibility to assess whether any Lot meets the criteria for import into the EU. The refusal of any required Import Licence or Importer Statement, or any delay in obtaining such Licence or Statement shall not give rise to the rescission or cancellation of any Sale, nor allow any delay in making full payment for the Lot.
Lobbying on the matter is ongoing as are efforts to find a suitable workaround. All in the trade will have their fingers crossed for a successful outcome.
