American Art

Christie’s American Art department specialises in paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the 19th through early 20th centuries, featuring masterpieces from the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, the American West, Illustration and Modernism.

We hold two curated auctions annually: 19th Century American and Western Art during Americana Week in January and Modern American Art in April. Additionally, important American works are featured in Christie’s marquee 20th/21st Century Week auctions each season, ensuring global exposure. Beyond auctions, we consistently achieve strong results through private sales year-round.

The consistent market leader in American Art, Christie’s holds countless world auction records, including the record for American Art overall with Edward Hopper’s Chop Suey at $91,875,000 (2018) and for any 19th Century American painting with Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware at $45,045,000 (2022).

Our unrivalled expertise with single-owner collections has consistently led to historic results, including the record-breaking sales of The David and Peggy Rockefeller Collection, The Barney A. Ebsworth Collection and The Paul G. Allen Collection.