Art auction market report: May 2005
In May 2005, ArtSell recorded 1,055 auction lots from 9 auction houses, of which 965 sold (91% sell-through). The 965 sales with a published price total $9,083,145, with a median of $2,350 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Jan Brueghel the Younger, “DORFGRACHT MIT LANDUNGSSTEG UND ZIEHBRUNNEN.”, at $540,084 (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 | Nathan Oliveira American | $140,250 | 2 | (American, b. 1928) — $93,250 |
| 2 | Peter Voulkos American | $94,588 | 5 | (American, 1924-2004) — $41,125 |
| 3 | Milton Avery American | $92,812 | 2 | Cows on the Hillside — $91,057 |
| 4 | Franz Kline American | $88,125 | 2 | (American, 1910-1962) — $58,750 |
| 5 | Andy Warhol American | $82,098 | 2 | (American, 1928-1987) — $81,750 |
| 6 | John Baldessari American | $73,125 | 1 | (American, b. 1931) — $73,125 |
| 7 | Gregory Kondos American | $61,100 | 3 | (American, b. 1923) — $32,313 |
| 8 | Gordon Onslow Ford American | $47,000 | 1 | (British, 1912-2003) — $47,000 |
| 9 | Edward Cucuel American | $46,320 | 2 | Der Fächer — $32,873 |
| 10 | Milton Resnick American | $39,950 | 2 | (American, 1917-2004) — $29,375 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Nolde German | $434,406 | 5 | Mohn und weiße Lilien vor blauem Grund — $117,493 |
| 2 | Maria van Oosterwijck Dutch | $322,550 | 1 | VANITAS-STILLEBEN. — $322,550 |
| 3 | Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Polish | $198,007 | 2 | PRZEPRAWA PRZEZ RZEKĘ — $180,638 |
| 4 | Max Pechstein German | $177,922 | 4 | Walliser Hütten — $88,120 |
| 5 | Horst Antes German | $154,210 | 2 | Blaue Figur — $80,777 |
| 6 | Georg Kolbe German | $135,296 | 2 | Kathedrale. Um 1922/23 — $124,837 |
| 7 | Franz von Stuck German | $116,025 | 1 | Helena. 1909 — $116,025 |
| 8 | Albert Birkle German | $99,869 | 1 | Mann mit Pelzmütze (Mein Bruder Tier) — $99,869 |
| 9 | Odd Nerdrum Norwegian | $98,274 | 1 | Ulrikke — $98,274 |
| 10 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $92,363 | 6 | Jacqueline lisant — $32,873 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georg Kolbe | Kathedrale. Um 1922/23 Ketterer Kunst | $124,837 | $30,071 (4 earlier) |
| Franz von Stuck | Helena. 1909 Ketterer Kunst | $116,025 | $48,329 (8 earlier) |
| Odd Nerdrum | Ulrikke Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner | $98,274 | $75,509 (10 earlier) |
| Andy Warhol | (American, 1928-1987) Bonhams | $81,750 | $45,017 (54 earlier) |
| Christian Rohlfs | Mondnacht über Dorf und See (Ascona) Ketterer Kunst | $80,777 | $77,372 (36 earlier) |
| Maurice de Vlaminck | Le Pont Ketterer Kunst | $67,239 | $45,323 (9 earlier) |
| Wojciech Kossak | PRZED PAŁACEM – WYJAZD NA POLOWANIE Agra-Art | $62,528 | $11,129 (12 earlier) |
| Fritz Klimsch | Versonnen (Sitzende). 1931 Ketterer Kunst | $59,768 | $58,560 (17 earlier) |
| Stanisław Żukowski | LEŚNE ŹRÓDŁO. MAJ Agra-Art | $45,159 | $23,418 (4 earlier) |
| French School | IM ATELIER DES MALERS oder "DIE DREI GRAZIEN". Lempertz | $40,506 | $4,600 (10 earlier) |
| Johan Christian Dahl | En vei i Pillnitz Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner | $38,998 | $38,405 (4 earlier) |
| Axel Ender | Sledekjøring på isen Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner | $38,998 | $20,269 (9 earlier) |
| Cesar Klein | Fischerboote im Hafen Ketterer Kunst | $29,884 | $2,358 (4 earlier) |
| Julius Heinrich Bissier | 26. XII. 59 Ketterer Kunst | $26,896 | $18,992 (12 earlier) |
| Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec | Eldorado aristide Bruant Van Sabben Poster Auctions | $25,718 | $13,530 (11 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Van Sabben Poster Auctions (300)Bonhams (166)Ketterer Kunst (127)Lempertz (116)Agra-Art (98)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (91)James D. Julia (79)SOGA (70)Crocker Farm (8)