Big Apple sales tempt collectors, with Oasis and Jackson Pollock in the frame

Des O'Sullivan checks out some exciting offerings in New York this month 

'Earl's Court (Liam + Noel)'. Elizabeth Peyton, at Sotheby's.

So far in 2026, the rebound in the art market, which began in the second half of last year, has continued. In a world full of new uncertainties, the big New York art sales this month look set to continue the trend. In a market where the premium is on rarity and quality, there are some amazing offerings.

In the late 1940s, Jackson Pollock pioneered a revolutionary painting style that was utterly baffling to most people. Nowadays, the art of "Jack the Dripper" is unbuyable unless you happen to be one of the growing global band of billionaires, whose numbers now approach 4,000 from a figure of just 140 in 1987. The largest example of Jackson Pollock's monumental drip paintings left in private hands, Number 7A, 1948, from the collection of legendary Condé Nast co-owner SI Newhouse, is at Christie's on May 18.