Art auction market report: December 2007
In December 2007, ArtSell recorded 2,306 auction lots from 12 auction houses, of which 1,863 sold (81% sell-through). The 1,863 sales with a published price total $43,867,412, with a median of $4,063 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was E. Charlton Fortune, “Late Afternoon, Monterey”, at $1,832,000 (Bonhams). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
2,306
12 houses
Sold
1,863
81% sell-through
Total
$44M
1,863 priced sales
Median
$4.1k
priced sales
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Afternoon, Monterey, 1914 | E. Charlton Fortune | Bonhams · Dec 10, 2007 | $1,832,000 |
| 2 | 19.7.63, 1963 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2007 | $1,511,072 (NT$48,760,000) |
| 3 | Vermillon de Chine No. 3, 1995 | Yan Pei-ming | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2007 | $1,406,946 (NT$45,400,000) |
| 4 | Nature hivernale, 1987 | Chu Teh-chun | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2007 | $990,440 (NT$31,960,000) |
| 5 | Blondes Mädchen mit Buch, 1912 | August Macke | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 5, 2007 | $712,154 (€483,800) |
| 6 | Venice, 1973 | Liāu Kè-chhun | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2007 | $678,061 (NT$21,880,000) |
| 7 | Yellow Trees, Giverny | Guy Rose | Bonhams · Dec 10, 2007 | $628,000 |
| 8 | Im Alter, 1918 | Emil Nolde | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 5, 2007 | $607,936 (€413,000) |
| 9 | Mountain Bamboo, 1975 | Wu Guanzhong | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2007 | $539,226 (NT$17,400,000) |
| 10 | Taichi Series – Single Whip, 1982 | Ju Ming | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2007 | $504,517 (NT$16,280,000) |
| 11 | Mohn, gelbe und blaue Blüten, 1935 | Emil Nolde | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 5, 2007 | $486,349 (€330,400) |
| 12 | The Rock of Acoma, New Mexico, 1902 | Thomas Moran | Bonhams · Dec 10, 2007 | $480,000 |
| 13 | Cariatide, 1911 | Amedeo Modigliani | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 5, 2007 | $468,979 (€318,600) |
| 14 | Zirkusszene, 1910 | Wladimir Georgiewitsch von Bechtejeff | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 5, 2007 | $441,188 (€299,720) |
| 15 | Surge (triptych), 1997 | Hong Ling | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2007 | $435,100 (NT$14,040,000) |
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 | E. Charlton Fortune American | $1,832,000 | 1 | Late Afternoon, Monterey — $1,832,000 |
| 2 | Guy Rose American | $628,000 | 1 | Yellow Trees, Giverny — $628,000 |
| 3 | Thomas Moran American | $480,000 | 1 | The Rock of Acoma, New Mexico — $480,000 |
| 4 | Otto Dix American | $403,480 | 12 | Münstertal — $105,394 |
| 5 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $393,644 | 8 | Ohne Titel (Seascape) — $155,443 |
| 6 | Lyonel Feininger American | $348,839 | 7 | Drifting — $123,648 |
| 7 | Maurice Braun American | $226,200 | 6 | A Field of Bluebonnets — $114,000 |
| 8 | George Chann American | $219,409 | 1 | Modern Writing — $219,409 |
| 9 | William Keith American | $219,000 | 2 | Land's End — $192,000 |
| 10 | Frank Tenney Johnson American | $216,000 | 1 | Under the Open Sky — $216,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Nolde German | $2,320,073 | 15 | Im Alter — $607,936 |
| 2 | Zao Wou-ki French | $1,894,109 | 2 | 19.7.63 — $1,511,072 |
| 3 | August Macke German | $736,883 | 2 | Blondes Mädchen mit Buch — $712,154 |
| 4 | Gabriele Münter German | $474,591 | 6 | Bäume am Hagenweg, Abend — $217,267 |
| 5 | Amedeo Modigliani Italian | $468,979 | 1 | Cariatide — $468,979 |
| 6 | Wilhelm Morgner German | $443,366 | 2 | Mann mit Karre — $275,558 |
| 7 | Max Pechstein German | $436,342 | 14 | Fischerhafen auf Fehmarn — $87,828 |
| 8 | Gerhard Richter German | $357,076 | 5 | Sich Ankleidende — $300,288 |
| 9 | Karl Schmidt-Rottluff German | $328,894 | 12 | Bahnübergang — $58,291 |
| 10 | Horst Antes German | $291,376 | 4 | Interieur mit Stillleben — $174,874 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zao Wou-ki | 19.7.63 Ravenel | $1,511,072 | $975,197 (51 earlier) |
| Chu Teh-chun | Nature hivernale Ravenel | $990,440 | $674,230 (34 earlier) |
| Wu Guanzhong | Mountain Bamboo Ravenel | $539,226 | $442,088 (7 earlier) |
| Amedeo Modigliani | Cariatide Ketterer Kunst | $468,979 | $262,387 (9 earlier) |
| Hong Ling | Surge (triptych) Ravenel | $435,100 | $56,300 (5 earlier) |
| Wilhelm Morgner | Mann mit Karre Ketterer Kunst | $275,558 | $256,224 (16 earlier) |
| George Chann | Modern Writing Ravenel | $219,409 | $210,118 (18 earlier) |
| Józef Brandt | Z DZIKICH PÓL Agra-Art | $206,736 | $192,870 (16 earlier) |
| William Keith | Land's End Bonhams | $192,000 | $128,250 (31 earlier) |
| William Wendt | Hidden Valley (No. 6) Bonhams | $180,000 | $104,750 (11 earlier) |
| Horst Antes | Interieur mit Stillleben Ketterer Kunst | $174,874 | $143,912 (64 earlier) |
| Jörg Immendorff | Sieger Ketterer Kunst | $167,808 | $152,133 (77 earlier) |
| Roy Lichtenstein | Ohne Titel (Seascape) Ketterer Kunst | $155,443 | $27,744 (47 earlier) |
| Chuang Che | Dragon Realm Ravenel | $142,616 | $96,472 (18 earlier) |
| Yuyu Yang | Heaven and Earth Destiny Ravenel | $131,646 | $30,965 (3 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Whyte's (385)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (382)Grisebach (296)Bonhams (273)Ketterer Kunst (234)Agra-Art (217)Ravenel (170)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (170)Sloans & Kenyon (82)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (54)Lempertz (36)Levis Fine Art Auctions (7)