On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Christie's auction house launched the first ever anime-focussed online auction in New York. From Doraemon to Studio Ghibli, a lot of art from Japanese anime and manga has been put on offer at the British auction house.
The auction titled, "Anime Starts Here: Japanese Subculture Reimagines Tradition", it will auction more than 40 art works including vintage posters, original anime cels that had been used in production and manga drawings.
The anime-focussed auction by Christie's which went on sale this Wednesday will last till March 31, 2026 and will offer both Japanese high art work as well as anime and manga, bringing tradition and popular culture together. The auction is an ode to the rich history of art in Japan.
Some of the high sought-after items included a Sailor Moon illustration, a vintage Godzilla poster, famous pieces by Japanese artist Nara Yoshitomo and a single film cel of a Doraemon show. Cels, which is a transparent celluloid sheet used in cartoons, has gained in value over the years, becoming a valuable memorabilia or art art piece.
These artworks are expected to be sold for thousands of dollars with the woodblock print of the iconic Great Wave of Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai’s expected to fetch around $60,000.
The special focus on anime by Christie's speaks of a growing trend to make auctions inclusive and more accessible to the up and coming generations, such as Gen Zs and millennials who will soon dictate the art trends and its market. Pop culture memorabilia and movie posters, therefore, are getting increasing importance and attention.
Such an auction that concentrated on anime had already been hosted by renowned auction house, Sotheby's back in 2021. The Christie's rival had sold Studio Ghibli artwork and some items from the popular Pokemon series as well. The trend to showcase anime art to the world has spilled over to iconic museums such as the British Museum which has held anime and manga exhibitions.
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