Art auction market report: April 2008
In April 2008, ArtSell recorded 1,820 auction lots from 8 auction houses, of which 1,567 sold (86% sell-through). The 1,567 sales with a published price total $14,889,898, with a median of $3,396 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was E. Charlton Fortune, “St. Ives Harbor”, at $628,000 (Bonhams). 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 | E. Charlton Fortune American | $636,400 | 2 | St. Ives Harbor — $628,000 |
| 2 | W. Herbert Dunton American | $540,000 | 1 | Composition for 'Sunset in the Foothills' — $540,000 |
| 3 | William Wendt American | $384,000 | 3 | View to the Valley — $216,000 |
| 4 | Granville Redmond American | $294,000 | 5 | Moonlight on the Marsh — $156,000 |
| 5 | Ernest Martin Hennings American | $276,000 | 2 | Indian Horsemen — $144,000 |
| 6 | Joseph Raphael American | $229,320 | 4 | Spring, Rue Engeland, Kriekeput — $192,000 |
| 7 | Maurice Braun American | $212,400 | 5 | Lake Hodges, San Diego — $81,000 |
| 8 | Percy Gray American | $168,300 | 9 | California Oak Grove — $36,000 |
| 9 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $117,000 | 3 | Harbor of Golden Sails — $48,000 |
| 10 | Donna N. Schuster American | $90,000 | 1 | Garden Reflection — $90,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Butler Yeats Irish | $351,786 | 3 | RIVER MOUTH — $320,374 |
| 2 | Louis le Brocquy Irish | $319,749 | 6 | CHILD WITH DOLL, HOMMAGE A JANKEL ADLER — $125,024 |
| 3 | Adriaen van Utrecht Flemish | $192,437 | 1 | Küchenstillleben mit erlegtem Wild, Früchten und Gemüse — $192,437 |
| 4 | Jerzy Nowosielski Polish | $184,567 | 7 | AKT — $87,046 |
| 5 | Carl Spitzweg German | $177,533 | 8 | Gnom, Eisenbahn betrachtend (Gnomen) — $109,425 |
| 6 | Letitia Marion Hamilton Irish | $171,127 | 10 | BOG, UPPER LOUGH MASK, COUNTY MAYO — $31,256 |
| 7 | Bernard Buffet French | $170,000 | 1 | Venise — $170,000 |
| 8 | Konrad Mägi Estonian | $117,090 | 1 | Itaalia maastik — $117,090 |
| 9 | Seán O'Sullivan Irish | $114,084 | 3 | MAN AND WOMAN OF THE WEST, 1929 (A PAIR) — $101,582 |
| 10 | Jerzy Tchorzewski Polish | $109,339 | 2 | POSTAĆ W PŁONĄCYM KRAJOBRAZIE — $79,616 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. Herbert Dunton | Composition for 'Sunset in the Foothills' Bonhams | $540,000 | $39,200 (3 earlier) |
| Jack Butler Yeats | RIVER MOUTH Whyte's | $320,374 | $283,032 (86 earlier) |
| William Wendt | View to the Valley Bonhams | $216,000 | $180,000 (12 earlier) |
| Joseph Raphael | Spring, Rue Engeland, Kriekeput Bonhams | $192,000 | $114,000 (16 earlier) |
| Bernard Buffet | Venise Sloans & Kenyon | $170,000 | $60,758 (43 earlier) |
| Carl Spitzweg | Gnom, Eisenbahn betrachtend (Gnomen) Ketterer Kunst | $109,425 | $18,725 (8 earlier) |
| Seán O'Sullivan | MAN AND WOMAN OF THE WEST, 1929 (A PAIR) Whyte's | $101,582 | $5,541 (7 earlier) |
| Jerzy Nowosielski | AKT Agra-Art | $87,046 | $86,453 (185 earlier) |
| Thomas Lorraine Hunt | Blue Shadows Bonhams | $84,000 | $4,025 (3 earlier) |
| Jerzy Tchorzewski | POSTAĆ W PŁONĄCYM KRAJOBRAZIE Agra-Art | $79,616 | $20,046 (13 earlier) |
| D. Howard Hitchcock | Waimanalo Beach on Windward Oahu Bonhams | $78,000 | $23,900 (4 earlier) |
| Donald Teskey | PLATEAU I Whyte's | $68,763 | $62,125 (19 earlier) |
| Mildred Anne Butler | WAR IN MID AIR Whyte's | $60,949 | $24,765 (18 earlier) |
| Basil Blackshaw | COUNTY DOWN FARMYARD Whyte's | $59,386 | $44,700 (15 earlier) |
| William Conor | A TUNE ON THE CONCERTINA Whyte's | $57,824 | $48,896 (26 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Ketterer Kunst (584)Bonhams (247)Art+Object (238)Sloans & Kenyon (229)Whyte's (179)Levis Fine Art Auctions (139)Agra-Art (125)HAUS Galerii (79)