Art auction market report: December 2002
In December 2002, ArtSell recorded 1,252 auction lots from 5 auction houses, of which 1,226 sold (98% sell-through). The 1,226 sales with a published price total $8,632,319, with a median of $1,882 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Paul Kane, “Portrait of Maungwudaus”, at $1,541,346 (Levis Fine Art Auctions). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
Top American artists
Ranked by total of priced sales in the month; region from the artist’s recorded nationality.
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Kane American | $1,541,346 | 1 | Portrait of Maungwudaus — $1,541,346 |
| 2 | Edward Cucuel American | $126,576 | 2 | Baumnixe — $69,041 |
| 3 | Lyonel Feininger American | $70,271 | 5 | Hohe Häuser I — $30,652 |
| 4 | Andy Warhol American | $42,574 | 4 | Marilyn Monroe — $25,315 |
| 5 | Tom Wesselmann American | $36,537 | 2 | Study for bedroom painting # 11 — $29,403 |
| 6 | Otto Dix American | $33,571 | 6 | Bodensee - Herbstlandschaft — $14,147 |
| 7 | Niki de Saint Phalle French | $29,276 | 2 | Ohne Titel (Nana pregnant) — $23,522 |
| 8 | George Grosz German | $28,359 | 6 | Weiblicher Akt mit Hut in den Dünen — $8,630 |
| 9 | Bert Stern American | $10,701 | 3 | Marylin Monroe - The Last Sitting — $8,630 |
| 10 | Willem de Kooning American | $10,585 | 1 | Quatre Lithographies — $10,585 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Nolde German | $338,416 | 2 | Heuwiese — $333,700 |
| 2 | Gabriele Münter German | $308,978 | 6 | Staffelsee — $115,069 |
| 3 | Wassily Kandinsky Russian | $236,835 | 3 | Kallmünz — $230,138 |
| 4 | Albert Birkle German | $166,735 | 3 | Bildnis Maler Kath — $149,590 |
| 5 | Alexej von Jawlensky Russian | $165,051 | 2 | Apfelstilleben — $101,389 |
| 6 | Hans Purrmann German | $146,306 | 4 | Hafenecke (Porto d'Ischia) — $103,747 |
| 7 | Hans Hartung French | $142,926 | 4 | T 1963 R 9 — $70,566 |
| 8 | Eduardo Chillida Spanish | $132,279 | 9 | Gravitacion — $68,815 |
| 9 | Karl Schmidt-Rottluff German | $131,956 | 6 | Rote Gladiolen — $56,589 |
| 10 | Max Pechstein German | $130,423 | 10 | Schlafende Lotte — $29,918 |
New artist records
The artist’s best price this month exceeded every earlier priced result for them in the ArtSell database (artists with at least three earlier priced results).
| Artist | Work | Price | Previous high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emil Nolde | Heuwiese Ketterer Kunst | $333,700 | $84,198 (10 earlier) |
| Albert Birkle | Bildnis Maler Kath Ketterer Kunst | $149,590 | $5,683 (3 earlier) |
| Hans Purrmann | Hafenecke (Porto d'Ischia) Lempertz | $103,747 | $43,420 (9 earlier) |
| Karl Hofer | Sich Abtrocknende mit Turban (Brustbild eines Mädchens, Rechtsprofil) Lempertz | $99,031 | $26,720 (3 earlier) |
| Hans Hartung | T 1963 R 9 Lempertz | $70,566 | $15,744 (8 earlier) |
| Karl Schmidt-Rottluff | Rote Gladiolen Lempertz | $56,589 | $29,996 (10 earlier) |
| Fritz Winter | Kommendes Rot Ketterer Kunst | $52,932 | $31,391 (15 earlier) |
| Sigmar Polke | Ohne Titel Lempertz | $41,164 | $5,623 (14 earlier) |
| Ernst Wilhelm Nay | Paar am Sund Ketterer Kunst | $40,274 | $3,894 (4 earlier) |
| Max Liebermann | Garten am Wannsee Lempertz | $37,726 | $14,649 (27 earlier) |
| Max Beckmann | Jahrmarkt Lempertz | $35,368 | $10,987 (13 earlier) |
| Rupprecht Geiger | 376/62 Ketterer Kunst | $34,521 | $524 (5 earlier) |
| Tom Wesselmann | Study for bedroom painting # 11 Lempertz | $29,403 | $5,623 (5 earlier) |
| Alfred Kubin | Der tote Kaiser Lempertz | $27,116 | $3,843 (5 earlier) |
| Serge Poliakoff | Sans titre Ketterer Kunst | $26,466 | $20,229 (8 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Lempertz (440)Ketterer Kunst (397)Levis Fine Art Auctions (213)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (124)Agra-Art (78)