Taking place at the height of the spring season, New York’s Showplace is gearing up for their Important Fine Art and Design Auction on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Bringing together everything from Old Masters to contemporary voices, painting and sculpture to decorative arts and important design, together the sale showcases an incredible breadth of art history. With iconic blue-chip names like Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama, and Alexander Calder to emerging names, we parsed through the 145 lots and rounded up a few key highlights below that inspire close watching.
Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Nets (1995)
Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Nets (1995). Est. $100,000–$200,000. Courtesy of Showplace, New York.
Shortly after moving to New York City from Japan, in 1958, Yayoi Kusama (b. 1929) made one of her first “Infinity Nets” series. Predating the Minimalists, these intricate compositions evoke themes of infinite repetition and space—themes that have come to largely exemplify her oeuvre. Obsessive and idiosyncratic, while they critically echo the emotional tenor of her predecessors like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, they were revolutionary for their meticulous yet expressive execution. The present example from 1995 highlights the dynamic evolution of her process and creative vision, and the expansiveness of her creative vision even within the parameters first set out by the series decades earlier.
Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Yellow Fanny Pack (2021)
Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Yellow Fanny Pack (2021). Est. $12,000–$18,000. Courtesy of Showplace, New York.
Ghanian painter Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe (b. 1988) is best known for his portraits of Black sitters against vivid, often monochromatic grounds. His signature use of shading and light in the rendering of his figures convey a sense of empowerment, personality, and agency. Coupled with his bold use of color, the artist has developed a visual language that speaks to not only the subject’s individual character but offers a glimpse into the artist’s internal creative world. Internationally exhibited, he was named the Rubell Museum’s Artists-in-Residence in 2021 and is considered at the forefront of the next generation of West African art stars.
Alexander Calder, Paradis (1976)
Alexander Calder, Paradis (1976). Est. $60,000–$80,000. Courtesy of Showplace, New York.
With vibrant, imaginative color and playful composition, Paradis (1976) by Alexander Calder (1898–1976) embodies the American artist’s uniquely lively style. While his abstract kinetic sculptures and mobiles are the most widely recognized of his work, the present piece recalls his seminal 1931 Cirque Calder, an expansive circus-themed piece replete with models of performers that move. His use of line in Paradis echoes his widespread use of wire in his practice, and evokes the articulated movements of his more complex sculptures.
Henri Martin, L’Eglise de Labastide-du-Vert (n.d.)
Henri Martin, L’Eglise de Labastide-du-Vert (n.d.). Est. $60,000–$80,000. Courtesy of Showplace, New York.
Prolific French painter Henri Martin (1860–1943) was academically trained and garnered early attention and acclaim, receiving his first medal at the Paris Salon in the early 1880s. Working in the style of the Neo-Impressionists, his dreamy, frequently bucolic paintings were critically well received for their strong sense of atmosphere, as can be seen in L’Eglise de Labastide-du-Vert (n.d.).
Milton Avery, Untitled (Winter Landscape Scene) (n.d.)
Milton Avery, Untitled (Winter Landscape Scene) (n.d.). Est. $20,000–$40,000.
Milton Avery (1885–1965) did not become a full-time artist until his early 40s, supported by his wife, the illustrator Sally Michel. Close friends with fellow artists and Modernists Adolph Gottlieb and Mark Rothko, bucking the trend of the time for total abstraction, Avery instead developed a personal style that synthesized elements of both abstraction and representation. With simplified forms, fields of color, and decisive brushwork, his compositions capture the emotional and psychological tone of his tableaux—whether of natural landscapes or interior scenes featuring members of his family.
Honore Daumier, L’Avocat Pathetique (ca. 1850)
Honoré Daumier, L’Avocat Pathetique (ca. 1850). Est. $40,000–$60,000. Courtesy of Showplace, New York.
With an oeuvre comprised of several thousand sculptures, paintings, drawings, wood engravings, and lithographs, French artist Honoré Daumier (1808–1879) was one of the most prolific creators of the 19th century. Known best for his work that offered of-the-moment social or political commentary, and especially his satirical work and caricatures, Daumier’s practice offers an incisive glimpse into everyday life and concerns of everyday people from the period. Today, his work has risen to prominence again with his work Le Défenseur (ca. 1862/1865) going viral on social media.
The Important Fine Art and Design Auction will be held May 14, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST at Showplace, New York.
No Comment! Be the first one.