Art auction market report: August 2006
In August 2006, ArtSell recorded 565 auction lots from 3 auction houses, of which 409 sold (72% sell-through). The 409 sales with a published price total $3,828,894, with a median of $3,884 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Joseph Kleitsch, “Portrait of Ruth Renick (The Jade Necklace)”, at $612,250 (Bonhams). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
565
3 houses
Sold
409
72% sell-through
Total
$3.8M
409 priced sales
Median
$3.9k
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 | Joseph Kleitsch American | $612,250 | 1 | Portrait of Ruth Renick (The Jade Necklace) — $612,250 |
| 2 | Virgil Williams American | $172,250 | 1 | Fishing Near Half Dome — $172,250 |
| 3 | John Marshall Gamble American | $149,400 | 2 | Spring Afternoon, The Desert Near Indio (Sand Verbena) — $82,750 |
| 4 | Percy Gray American | $130,853 | 5 | Cumulus Clouds Above an Old Oak Tree — $44,813 |
| 5 | Philip Russell Goodwin American | $117,250 | 1 | Trappers in a Canoe — $117,250 |
| 6 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $116,513 | 4 | Shadow Lake — $50,788 |
| 7 | Laverne Nelson Black American | $100,000 | 1 | Taos Pueblo (No. 23) — $100,000 |
| 8 | Milton Avery American | $79,875 | 1 | Swimmer Sunning — $79,875 |
| 9 | Charles Courtney Curran American | $77,000 | 1 | May Morning — $77,000 |
| 10 | Anna Althea Hills American | $76,853 | 2 | Desert Gold, Palm Springs — $65,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean Mannheim German | $29,875 | 4 | A Portrait of a Lady in her Garden — $13,145 |
| 2 | Grigory Gluckmann Russian | $28,680 | 3 | A Head of a Woman — $11,353 |
| 3 | Alexander Joseph von Steuben French | $24,437 | 7 | Millefiori Lamp — $17,250 |
| 4 | Karl Bodmer Swiss | $7,768 | 1 | Sih-Chida and Mahchsi-Karehde, Mandan Indians; Pehriska-Ruhpa, a Minitarre Warrior in the Costume of a Dog Dancer (a pair) — $7,768 |
| 5 | Carl Kauba Austrian | $7,768 | 2 | Indian with Rifle — $4,183 |
| 6 | Lino Tagliapietra Italian | $5,750 | 1 | Mogambo Vase — $5,750 |
| 7 | Paul César Helleu French | $4,600 | 1 | Portrait of Jeanette and Elizabeth Steadman — $4,600 |
| 8 | Willy Pogany Hungarian | $3,286 | 1 | The Heroic Prince — $3,286 |
| 9 | Oliver Clare British | $2,587 | 1 | Still Life with Robin’s Nest — $2,587 |
| 10 | Jerzy Nowosielski Polish | $2,237 | 2 | Portret ślubny — $1,379 |
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).