The first six months of 2026 represent the strongest half-year in Finarte’s history. The auction house achieved exceptional results across almost all collecting categories, with particularly strong performances in Jewelry, Watches, Photography, Numismatics, Modern Art, and Rare Books.
Leading the way was Modern and Contemporary Art, which delivered the year’s top lot on June 9 with Giorgio de Chirico’s Niobe (1921), sold for € 387,100.The auction realised more than € 2 million, with 90% of the total value offered sold, further demonstrating the house’s international reach.
The Fine Watches department also recorded its most successful auction to date, with 91% of lots sold and total sales reaching 155% of the pre-sale estimates. Jewelry followed with an exceptional sale that nearly reached € 3 million, driven by strong demand for Burmese gemstones, including a Burma sapphire ring that sold for € 158,750. The Photographs department likewise achieved a historic result, selling 95% of the total value offered and setting a new world auction record for Franco Fontana.
Alongside the strong performance of its established categories, two newly launched departments also made a significant impact. Numismatics debuted with a white-glove auction dedicated to the collection of a prominent Italian noble family, achieving 340% of its pre-sale estimates. The department followed this success in May with a second consecutive white-glove auction, realising 150% of its pre-sale estimates.
Memorabilia made its record-breaking debut in Rome with a sale that also attracted widespread national media attention. The auction featured previously unseen paintings and early letters written by Lucio Battisti to his mother, prompting spirited bidding that drove the combined total beyond € 80,000.
That same week in Rome also brought one of the half-year’s most significant cultural achievements. The Antique Books, Manuscripts and Prints department facilitated the acquisition by the Vittoriale degli Italiani of the secret correspondence between Gabriele d’Annunzio and Giovanni Rizzo. The sale closed with more than 80% of lots sold, while fifteenth-century illuminated manuscripts and codices achieved prices well above their pre-sale estimates.
The March house sale featuring the estate of jurist Antonio Crivellaro, sourced from his residences in Milan and Lerici, was another highlight of the season. Strong competition for important works of twentieth-century Italian abstraction drove the auction to 152% of its pre-sale estimates.
Old Master Paintings also recorded strong results, as did 19th-Century Paintings, which produced one of the half-year’s most surprising highlights with Lev Lagorio’s The Shamkhal Palace at Kafyr-Kumukh, sold for € 187,150. Completing the season, Antiques Week—bringing together Asian Art, Antiques, and Silver—generated nearly € 900,000 in total sales.
Cross-category collecting sectors also performed strongly. The Wines and Spirits department also enjoyed a strong season, highlighted by a prestigious consignment of Henri Jayer Richebourg Grand Cru vintages (1985–1993), which realised more than € 150,000. The Fashion department continued to benefit from strong demand for Hermès pieces, while Comics further consolidated Finarte’s position as the market leader. The Design department also maintained its momentum, with both of its formats—the connoisseur-focused Design Heritage and the more accessible Easy Design auctions—continuing to attract collectors.
On the development front, April marked another step in Finarte’s expansion across southern Italy. Alongside its existing collaboration with Hotel de Bonart in Naples, the auction house launched a new partnership with Villa Igiea, A Rocco Forte Hotel in Palermo, which will serve as Finarte’s Sicilian home and the venue for exclusive events dedicated to art and collecting.
“The first half of 2026 has been the strongest in the auction house’s history,” said Alessandro Guerrini, CEO of the Finarte Group. “Alongside the continued growth of our long-established departments, our new collecting categories and strategic partnerships have made a significant contribution. These results confirm the strength of our strategy and the continued vitality of the collecting market.”
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