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The Old Masters Moment

The category can be intimidating for its blizzard of names spanning hundreds of years of art history. These days, though, it’s also notable for another thing: low, low prices.

Sotheby's Old Masters
Works by Antonello da Messina are extremely rare—this may be the last of his paintings in private hands—but more to the point, the piece is just incredible in its pathos. Someone recognized this, because it, too, has an irrevocable bid. Photo: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images
Marion Maneker
February 3, 2026

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In January, I had lunch with an advisor who is deeply entrenched in contemporary art, which is what his clients collect and where his expertise lies. But we spent much of the meal discussing his burgeoning interest in Old Masters paintings. The advisor was hyperaware of his amateur status in the category, but he was combing through this season’s catalogues with enthusiasm—and kept coming back to the low, low prices.