Art auction market report: December 2004
In December 2004, ArtSell recorded 1,428 auction lots from 5 auction houses, of which 1,252 sold (88% sell-through). The 1,252 sales with a published price total $18,997,505, with a median of $3,640 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Kurt Schwitters, “Relief mit gelbem Viereck 2 (Merz-Relief mit schrägem Gelb)”, at $1,899,240 (Lempertz). 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 | Richard Estes American | $427,329 | 1 | Mayflower — $427,329 |
| 2 | Otto Dix American | $242,191 | 10 | Liegender weiblicher Akt (Karton zu "Liegende auf Pantherfell") — $158,270 |
| 3 | László Moholy-Nagy American | $182,011 | 2 | Space Modulator — $148,774 |
| 4 | Lyonel Feininger American | $122,217 | 10 | Abgebrochenes Haus — $34,819 |
| 5 | Alexander Calder American | $117,119 | 6 | Orages — $31,654 |
| 6 | Max Ernst German | $80,388 | 15 | Chéri Bibi — $16,618 |
| 7 | Joseph Marioni American | $66,473 | 1 | Painting Nr. 2 (Blau) — $66,473 |
| 8 | Andy Warhol American | $43,049 | 2 | Marilyn — $41,150 |
| 9 | Zygmunt Menkes American | $39,571 | 2 | Kwiaty w wazonie — $26,381 |
| 10 | Robert Henri American | $25,000 | 1 | Dumping Snow — $25,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kurt Schwitters German | $1,899,240 | 1 | Relief mit gelbem Viereck 2 (Merz-Relief mit schrägem Gelb) — $1,899,240 |
| 2 | Wassily Kandinsky Russian | $701,969 | 4 | Kornhausten (Murnau, Herbst) — $664,734 |
| 3 | Karl Schmidt-Rottluff German | $600,628 | 10 | Stilleben mit Chicorée — $189,924 |
| 4 | Emil Nolde German | $569,886 | 10 | Amaryllis mit rotem Mohn — $174,097 |
| 5 | El Lissitzky Russian | $490,637 | 1 | Ohne Titel (Proun) — $490,637 |
| 6 | Max Liebermann German | $461,261 | 5 | Tennisspieler am Meer - 1. Fassung — $448,758 |
| 7 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $422,761 | 17 | Saltimbanque et jeune fille — $253,232 |
| 8 | Auguste Herbin French | $281,339 | 2 | Les Quais du Port de Bastia — $269,059 |
| 9 | Markus Lüpertz German | $266,343 | 14 | Ohne Titel (Ikarus) — $63,308 |
| 10 | Ewald Mataré German | $248,162 | 11 | Stehende Kuh "Windkuh" — $88,631 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt Schwitters | Relief mit gelbem Viereck 2 (Merz-Relief mit schrägem Gelb) Lempertz | $1,899,240 | $44,533 (3 earlier) |
| Wassily Kandinsky | Kornhausten (Murnau, Herbst) Lempertz | $664,734 | $230,138 (12 earlier) |
| Max Liebermann | Tennisspieler am Meer - 1. Fassung Ketterer Kunst | $448,758 | $235,825 (73 earlier) |
| Richard Estes | Mayflower Lempertz | $427,329 | $1,416 (3 earlier) |
| Auguste Herbin | Les Quais du Port de Bastia Lempertz | $269,059 | $212,451 (6 earlier) |
| Pablo Picasso | Saltimbanque et jeune fille Lempertz | $253,232 | $74,909 (142 earlier) |
| Lucio Fontana | Concetto spaziale, Attesa Ketterer Kunst | $208,904 | $7,364 (5 earlier) |
| Karl Schmidt-Rottluff | Stilleben mit Chicorée Lempertz | $189,924 | $56,589 (37 earlier) |
| Joseph Beuys | Kruzifix Lempertz | $174,097 | $37,756 (48 earlier) |
| László Moholy-Nagy | Space Modulator Lempertz | $148,774 | $35,902 (12 earlier) |
| Horst Antes | Drei Figuren Ketterer Kunst | $143,912 | $41,700 (27 earlier) |
| Maurice Utrillo | Les trois Moulins de Montmartre Lempertz | $129,781 | $1,604 (3 earlier) |
| Oskar Schlemmer | Gruppe mit rotem Knaben Lempertz | $123,451 | $105,289 (3 earlier) |
| Tadeusz Makowski | Grupa dzieci z koszykiem owoców Agra-Art | $117,248 | $56,282 (4 earlier) |
| Ernst Barlach | Das Wiedersehen Lempertz | $91,797 | $28,775 (22 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Lempertz (629)Sloans & Kenyon (271)Agra-Art (198)Ketterer Kunst (173)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (157)