Art auction market report: May 2003
In May 2003, ArtSell recorded 706 auction lots from 4 auction houses, of which 661 sold (94% sell-through). The 661 sales with a published price total $6,101,241, with a median of $3,468 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was August Macke, “Gelbes Segel”, at $277,442 (Lempertz). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
706
4 houses
Sold
661
94% sell-through
Total
$6.1M
661 priced sales
Median
$3.5k
priced sales
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 | Lyonel Feininger American | $96,793 | 8 | Desert Coast — $27,744 |
| 2 | Joseph Marioni American | $47,165 | 1 | Painting No. 9 (rot) — $47,165 |
| 3 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $39,535 | 2 | Sweet Dreams Baby! — $27,744 |
| 4 | Edward Cucuel American | $15,259 | 1 | Küstenlandschaft bei Menton — $15,259 |
| 5 | Herbert Bayer Austrian | $10,682 | 1 | Cosmic — $10,682 |
| 6 | Keith Haring American | $9,710 | 1 | Subway Drawing — $9,710 |
| 7 | Frank Stella American | $6,936 | 1 | aus: Imaginary Places — $6,936 |
| 8 | George Grosz German | $6,242 | 3 | Interregnum — $3,191 |
| 9 | Arman American | $5,826 | 1 | Akkumulation Hammer — $5,826 |
| 10 | Steven Parrino American | $5,826 | 1 | Ohne Titel — $5,826 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Liebermann German | $401,319 | 5 | Jäger in den Dünen — $235,825 |
| 2 | August Macke German | $349,576 | 3 | Gelbes Segel — $277,442 |
| 3 | Adolph Tidemand Norwegian | $187,675 | 1 | Nabokonens Raad — $187,675 |
| 4 | Arne Kavli Norwegian | $138,429 | 5 | Uterestaurant på brygge og seilbåter — $45,042 |
| 5 | Lesser Ury German | $124,849 | 2 | Hardenbergstraße mit Blick auf den Bahnhof Zoo — $74,909 |
| 6 | Hans Purrmann German | $119,161 | 4 | Blumenstilleben mit Zinnien, Kresse und Gladiolen — $80,458 |
| 7 | Hans Gude Norwegian | $110,353 | 5 | Notfiske — $37,535 |
| 8 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $103,112 | 9 | Le repas frugal — $74,909 |
| 9 | Christian Rohlfs German | $91,833 | 6 | Sonnenblumen — $38,842 |
| 10 | Johann Wilhelm Schirmer German | $88,144 | 1 | SCHWEIZER ALPENLANDSCHAFT MIT DER JUNGFRAU. — $88,144 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Liebermann | Jäger in den Dünen Lempertz | $235,825 | $37,726 (32 earlier) |
| Otto Mueller | Zwei Mädchen Lempertz | $124,849 | $17,684 (7 earlier) |
| Zao Wou-ki | 22.1.71 Lempertz | $86,007 | $2,532 (11 earlier) |
| Lesser Ury | Hardenbergstraße mit Blick auf den Bahnhof Zoo Lempertz | $74,909 | $36,837 (8 earlier) |
| Pablo Picasso | Le repas frugal Lempertz | $74,909 | $16,041 (80 earlier) |
| Erich Heckel | Herbstlandschaft Lempertz | $41,616 | $23,543 (33 earlier) |
| Christian Rohlfs | Sonnenblumen Lempertz | $38,842 | $31,173 (12 earlier) |
| Gerhard Marcks | Albertus Magnus (Modell I) Lempertz | $38,842 | $20,597 (13 earlier) |
| Pierre Soulages | Ohne Titel Lempertz | $38,842 | $23,543 (12 earlier) |
| Werner Heldt | Stilleben auf der Straße Lempertz | $37,455 | $9,472 (10 earlier) |
| Roy Lichtenstein | Sweet Dreams Baby! Lempertz | $27,744 | $6,325 (5 earlier) |
| Maria Helena Vieira da Silva | Et puis voilà Lempertz | $27,744 | $468 (4 earlier) |
| Giuseppe Santomaso | Ohne Titel Lempertz | $26,357 | $564 (3 earlier) |
| Jean Heiberg | Fra Brevik Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner | $25,524 | $1,907 (3 earlier) |
| Galle | Wheelcarved Cameo Vase James D. Julia | $25,300 | $3,600 (14 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Lempertz (426)James D. Julia (103)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (101)Sloans & Kenyon (76)