Showplace New York’s May Auction Brings 145 Lots From Old Masters to Kusama
A spring auction in New York is set to move briskly across centuries of art history. On May 14, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST, Showplace New York will stage its Important Fine Art and Design Auction, a 145-lot sale that ranges from Old Masters to contemporary art, decorative arts, and design.
Among the headline works is Yayoi Kusama’s Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (b. 1929) “Infinity Nets” (1995), estimated at $100,000–$200,000. The sale also includes Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe’s “Yellow Fanny Pack” (2021), estimated at $12,000–$18,000, and Alexander Calder’s American artist Alexander Calder (1898–1976) “Paradis” (1976), estimated at $60,000–$80,000. Together, the group suggests a sale calibrated to collectors with broad tastes, from postwar abstraction to more recent figurative and sculptural work.
The auction’s modern holdings also include Henri Martin’s French painter Henri Martin (1860–1943) “L’Eglise de Labastide-du-Vert” (n.d.), estimated at $60,000–$80,000. Martin, academically trained and recognized early at the Paris Salon, became known for atmospheric, often pastoral scenes shaped by Neo-Impressionist sensibilities. His work in the sale reflects that lyrical register, with color and light doing much of the compositional work.
Milton Avery’s American artist Milton Avery (1885–1965) “Untitled (Winter Landscape Scene)” (n.d.) carries an estimate of $20,000–$40,000. Avery did not become a full-time artist until his early 40s, with support from his wife, the illustrator Sally Michel. Close to Adolph Gottlieb and Mark Rothko, he developed a language that balanced abstraction and representation rather than choosing between them. His landscapes and interiors often feel pared down to essentials, yet emotionally exact.
The sale also features Honoré Daumier’s French artist Honoré Daumier (1808–1879) “L’Avocat Pathetique” (ca. 1850), estimated at $40,000–$60,000. Daumier’s reputation rests on a vast body of work that includes sculpture, painting, drawing, wood engraving, and lithography, much of it sharpened by social and political observation. His presence in the auction adds a 19th-century counterpoint to the modern and contemporary material.
With 145 lots spanning multiple categories, the sale underscores how auction houses continue to frame collecting as a dialogue across periods, media, and market segments. For buyers, the appeal lies not only in individual estimates, but in the chance to move between historical depth and present-day taste in a single room.
