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Warhol, Banksy and Hammershøi Headline Phillips London Auctions March 6, 2026Art Auction, LondonOff

Phillips Unveils a Powerful Line-Up for Its Modern & Contemporary Art Sales in London

Every season, the art world gathers its attention around a few key moments. In London this March, one of those moments belongs unmistakably to Phillips, which is preparing an ambitious series of Modern & Contemporary Art auctions on March 5 and March 7 at its Berkeley Square headquarters.

The sales promise more than just high-value artworks. They offer a narrative of art history itself – a dialogue between Scandinavian modernism, American minimalism, and some of the most influential contemporary voices working today.

Vilhelm Hammershøi – Interior of Woman Placing Branches in Vase on Table

Interiør med kvinde, der stiller grene i et glas, Strandgade 30), 1900

Estimate £1,500,000 – £2,000,000

Courtesy of Phillips

Scandinavian Modernism Takes the Spotlight

Leading the Evening Sale is a quietly powerful painting by Danish master Vilhelm Hammershøi, Interior of Woman Placing Branches in Vase on Table, painted in 1900 and estimated between £1.5 million and £2 million. The work comes from the renowned Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, one of the most significant private collections of Danish art ever assembled.

Hammershøi’s interiors, often bathed in subdued light and meditative silence, have long fascinated collectors. In this painting, the simple gesture of a woman arranging branches becomes a study of atmosphere and stillness – the kind of understated beauty that quietly commands a room.

The Scandinavian section also includes works by artists such as Harald Sohlberg, Anna Ancher, and Bertha Wegmann, highlighting the growing international appreciation for Nordic modernist painting.

Minimalism and the Power of Form

Moving forward in time, the sale also explores the legacy of American Minimalism, presenting works by Donald Judd and Brice Marden from a distinguished European private collection.

Judd’s Untitled (1987), estimated between £380,000 and £500,000, embodies the artist’s radical rethinking of sculpture as object and space. Nearby, Marden’s lyrical compositions from his Nevisian Story series demonstrate how minimalism evolved into something more fluid and expressive.

Together, the works trace the movement’s enduring fascination with clarity, structure, and material.

Yayoi Kusama, Untitled, 1968

Joseph Yaeger, Tyranny of the rational, 2023

Andy Warhol, Mao, 1973

Tracey Emin, An Insane desire For you, 2019

El Anatsui, Zebra Square, 2007

Anna Ancher, Young Girl Reading a Letter, 1902

Jan Schoonhoven, R69-23, 1969

Brice Marden, Three Works

Derek Fordjour, Six Count, 2018

Jagdish Swaminathan, Untitled, 1980

Icons of Contemporary Art

The auction also brings together some of the most recognisable names in contemporary art.

A striking example of Andy Warhol’s Mao series from 1973 – one of the artist’s most iconic bodies of work – is expected to achieve £1.4 million to £1.8 million. Warhol’s reinterpretation of the Chinese leader transformed political imagery into a pop culture symbol, a perfect reflection of the artist’s fascination with power and celebrity.

Meanwhile, Banksy’s Happy Choppers, an early and highly sought-after work by the elusive street artist, adds a sharp dose of irreverence to the sale. The piece previously belonged to the late actor and comedian Robin Williams, giving it an additional layer of cultural history.

Also among the highlights is El Anatsui’s monumental sculpture Zebra Square, created from thousands of recycled bottle caps. The shimmering work reflects the artist’s signature exploration of transformation and material, a theme that has made him one of the most celebrated contemporary artists working today.

A Global Dialogue of Contemporary Voices

Beyond the headline lots, the auction presents a rich cross-section of contemporary art.

Works by Joseph Yaeger, Derek Fordjour, and Lucy Bull bring fresh perspectives to the sale, while a broader selection on March 7 spans more than a century of artistic experimentation.

Among the standout pieces are Albert Oehlen’s dynamic abstract painting Vergessen auf Rädern (2005), estimated between £270,000 and £350,000, and Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (431-8), a rare work returning to auction after nearly thirty years.

The sale also includes works by Glenn Brown, Philip Guston, Victor Man, and Jagdish Swaminathan, demonstrating the global breadth of contemporary collecting today.

Cai Guo-Qiang, Black Sunflower, 2010

Eugène Boudin, Port de Rotterdam, marée basse, 1879

Harald Sohlberg, From the Oslo Fjord, 1926

Albert Oehlen, Vergessen auf Rädern, 2005

London at the Center of the Art Market

For collectors, curators, and art lovers alike, the exhibitions leading up to the auctions offer a rare opportunity to encounter these works in person.

The preview exhibition opened on February 26 at Phillips’ Berkeley Square gallery, remaining on view throughout the auction week.

And as London continues to position itself as a vital crossroads for the international art market, the Phillips sales once again remind us that great art auctions are not just about prices.

They are about stories.

Stories of collectors, artists, movements, and moments that shape the visual culture of our time.

Discover more at
https://www.phillips.com

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