Art market: Sculpture shows some muscle

With the summer break very much on the mind of most people working in the art world, the final auctions of the season at Christie’s and Sotheby’s offered a welcome burst of good news, allowing everyone to head to Hydra and Ibiza with a smile on their face. Yet even with the headlines looking promising, there are still signs that the market is not completely out of the woods. This month, Anna Brady reports on the Classic auctions in London and finds that, notwithstanding the record prices, there are still some snakes in the grass. Emma Crichton-Miller looks into the wider context of 19th-century British bronzes and their renewed popularity, while Jane Morris says howdy to depictions of the Wild West. And ahead of the annual art fair Parcours des Mondes in Paris in September, Apollo examines the market for African classical sculpture.       Muscling in   Strong results at auction delivered a welcome boost to the Old Master market, but do the records belie a systemic weakness in the category?   By Anna Brady       Forging ahead   Artists developed a new modern style with bronze sculpture in the 19th century. The results show that there is more to British sculpture than Henry Moore, and it’s an area collectors are increasingly paying attention to.   By Emma Crichton-Miller       Go West   ‘Cowboy’ art is often overlooked by the art world, but it’s a uniquely American phenomenon for which there is something of a bull market.   By Jane Morris       Fang-tastic   Classical African art continues to command dizzying prices despite the complexities around provenance.   By Emma Crichton-Miller   More from Apollo Current issue | Advertise | Podcasts   View this email in your browser   Follow us Apollo Magazine, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP. All Articles and Content Copyright © 2026 by Apollo Magazine. All Rights Reserved. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe at any time. To ensure our emails are delivered to your inbox, please add Apollo to your email address book and safe-sender list.