Art auction market report: May 2004
In May 2004, ArtSell recorded 1,428 auction lots from 8 auction houses, of which 1,225 sold (86% sell-through). The 1,225 sales with a published price total $8,141,199, with a median of $1,657 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Gerhard Richter, “Abstraktes Bild”, at $651,470 (Ketterer Kunst). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
1,428
8 houses
Sold
1,225
86% sell-through
Total
$8.1M
1,225 priced sales
Median
$1.7k
priced sales
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abstraktes Bild, 1988 | Gerhard Richter | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $651,470 (€552,000) |
| 2 | Hohe See, 1936 | Emil Nolde | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $339,308 (€287,500) |
| 3 | Beim Malen, 1911 | Gabriele Münter | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $271,446 (€230,000) |
| 4 | Sitzendes Mädchen mit Schafen am Weiher I, 1903 | Paula Modersohn-Becker | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $271,446 (€230,000) |
| 5 | Ulvejegere på seteren, 1854 | Adolph Tidemand | Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner · May 25, 2004 | $271,432 (NOK 1,850,000) |
| 6 | Gelbe und blaue Iris, 1930 | Emil Nolde | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $169,654 (€143,750) |
| 7 | Yucca mit Zweig, 1930 | Max Pechstein | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $162,868 (€138,000) |
| 8 | Zwei Mädchen mit Früchten, 1926 | Karl Hofer | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $135,723 (€115,000) |
| 9 | Sanoyara, 1958 | Asger Jorn | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $122,151 (€103,500) |
| 10 | Sommerblumen, 1953 | Emil Nolde | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $115,365 (€97,750) |
| 11 | Büste, 1959 | Massimo Campigli | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $95,006 (€80,500) |
| 12 | Schreibtisch, 1994 | Thomas Demand | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $85,505 (€72,450) |
| 13 | Sanna, ok. 1890 | Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski | Agra-Art · May 23, 2004 | $76,876 (PLN 299,000) |
| 14 | Portret panny Dybowskiej, 1861 | Jan Matejko | Agra-Art · May 23, 2004 | $68,006 (PLN 264,500) |
| 15 | Zwei Frauenköpfe, 1920 | Emil Nolde | Ketterer Kunst · May 14, 2004 | $66,280 (€56,160) |
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 | László Moholy-Nagy American | $79,398 | 3 | Eifersucht — $35,902 |
| 2 | Rudolf Bauer German | $41,425 | 1 | Rounds and Triangles — $41,425 |
| 3 | Lyonel Feininger American | $34,521 | 2 | Swinemünder Fischkutter — $28,998 |
| 4 | Stephen Shore American | $34,480 | 1 | Twelve Photographs — $34,480 |
| 5 | Edward Cucuel American | $27,617 | 1 | Der Fächer — $27,617 |
| 6 | Lawrence Calcagno American | $27,435 | 12 | Far Horizon — $4,720 |
| 7 | Josef Albers German | $25,545 | 1 | Homage to the Square — $25,545 |
| 8 | Aaron Bohrod American | $22,420 | 1 | North Clark Street — $22,420 |
| 9 | Raymond Jonson American | $21,948 | 3 | Chromatic Contrasts No. 23, Oil No. 15-1947 — $18,880 |
| 10 | Zygmunt Menkes American | $20,697 | 1 | Kobieta z wachlarzem — $20,697 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Nolde German | $816,262 | 7 | Hohe See — $339,308 |
| 2 | Gerhard Richter German | $651,470 | 1 | Abstraktes Bild — $651,470 |
| 3 | Gabriele Münter German | $368,104 | 4 | Beim Malen — $271,446 |
| 4 | Paula Modersohn-Becker German | $271,446 | 1 | Sitzendes Mädchen mit Schafen am Weiher I — $271,446 |
| 5 | Adolph Tidemand Norwegian | $271,432 | 1 | Ulvejegere på seteren — $271,432 |
| 6 | Max Pechstein German | $233,290 | 6 | Yucca mit Zweig — $162,868 |
| 7 | Karl Hofer Swiss | $173,006 | 2 | Zwei Mädchen mit Früchten — $135,723 |
| 8 | Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Polish | $136,011 | 2 | Sanna — $76,876 |
| 9 | Asger Jorn Danish | $122,151 | 1 | Sanoyara — $122,151 |
| 10 | Arne Kavli Norwegian | $110,627 | 3 | Kvinne ved bord — $60,155 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerhard Richter | Abstraktes Bild Ketterer Kunst | $651,470 | $116,481 (23 earlier) |
| Emil Nolde | Hohe See Ketterer Kunst | $339,308 | $333,700 (29 earlier) |
| Paula Modersohn-Becker | Sitzendes Mädchen mit Schafen am Weiher I Ketterer Kunst | $271,446 | $5,148 (3 earlier) |
| Karl Hofer | Zwei Mädchen mit Früchten Ketterer Kunst | $135,723 | $127,470 (15 earlier) |
| Asger Jorn | Sanoyara Ketterer Kunst | $122,151 | $12,082 (5 earlier) |
| Massimo Campigli | Büste Ketterer Kunst | $95,006 | $1,852 (3 earlier) |
| Lovis Corinth | Tändelei, II. Fassung Ketterer Kunst | $63,518 | $28,528 (40 earlier) |
| Arne Kavli | Kvinne ved bord Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner | $60,155 | $57,204 (28 earlier) |
| Ernst Ludwig Kirchner | Staffelalp Ketterer Kunst | $48,329 | $43,906 (30 earlier) |
| Christian Skredsvig | Vår i Eggedal Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner | $36,680 | $35,040 (9 earlier) |
| László Moholy-Nagy | Eifersucht Ketterer Kunst | $35,902 | $9,472 (8 earlier) |
| Ernst Geitlinger | Varietészene Ketterer Kunst | $34,521 | $619 (3 earlier) |
| Karl Otto Götz | Blob Ketterer Kunst | $30,378 | $29,190 (9 earlier) |
| Ludwig Meidner | Selbstbildnis Ketterer Kunst | $29,688 | $14,147 (18 earlier) |
| Fritz Koenig | Derby I Ketterer Kunst | $28,998 | $27,800 (3 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
James D. Julia (298)Wright (247)Ketterer Kunst (219)Sloans & Kenyon (204)Agra-Art (192)Bonhams (142)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (65)Lempertz (61)