Art auction market report: September 2008
In September 2008, ArtSell recorded 920 auction lots from 7 auction houses, of which 487 sold (53% sell-through). The 487 sales with a published price total $1,678,873, with a median of $484 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Paul Henry, “ACHILL HEAD”, at $129,141 (Whyte's). 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 | John Kingerlee American | $16,071 | 3 | THE PURITY OF NATURE — $8,179 |
| 2 | Garnet Jex American | $12,500 | 2 | Midsummer — $7,750 |
| 3 | Sean Scully American | $12,484 | 1 | WALL OF LIGHT CRIMSON — $12,484 |
| 4 | Patrick Scott American | $6,744 | 2 | YELLOW WHORLS (SILK SCARF) — $4,018 |
| 5 | Sarah Miriam Peale American | $6,000 | 1 | Untitled — $6,000 |
| 6 | Edward Rosenfeld American | $2,475 | 6 | Baltimore Street Scene — $500 |
| 7 | Edmund Yaghjian American | $1,900 | 1 | The Pianist — $1,900 |
| 8 | Frederic Remington American | $1,350 | 2 | MOUNTAIN MAN, later casting — $700 |
| 9 | Stephen Sacklarian Bulgarian | $950 | 1 | Abstract in Shades of Gray — $950 |
| 10 | William H. Calfee American | $900 | 1 | Titania — $900 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Henry Irish | $129,141 | 1 | ACHILL HEAD — $129,141 |
| 2 | Louis le Brocquy Irish | $124,549 | 3 | LEMON GROWING — $77,485 |
| 3 | Colin Middleton Irish | $79,350 | 3 | VISITATION - WESTERNESS CYCLE NO. 8, 1974/75 — $48,787 |
| 4 | Seán Keating Irish | $53,952 | 3 | THE IRISH HAZEL — $43,047 |
| 5 | John Shinnors Irish | $52,948 | 3 | BIRTH OF PINOCCHIO — $41,612 |
| 6 | Markey Robinson British | $49,504 | 5 | SHAWLIES AND BOATS AT SUNRISE — $19,371 |
| 7 | Patrick Hennessy Irish | $45,917 | 1 | THE LEGEND AND THE SEA — $45,917 |
| 8 | Patrick Swift Irish | $45,917 | 1 | GIRL WITH BLUE THISTLES — $45,917 |
| 9 | Letitia Marion Hamilton Irish | $39,747 | 3 | VIEW ACROSS A MEDITTERANEAN TOWN, POSSIBLY MENTON — $17,936 |
| 10 | Martin Archer Shee Irish | $38,742 | 1 | PORTRAIT OF DANIEL O'CONNELL — $38,742 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Le Jeune | THE PERFECT STORM - WAVES OFF BRITTAINY COAST Whyte's | $51,656 | $28,130 (16 earlier) |
| Patrick Hennessy | THE LEGEND AND THE SEA Whyte's | $45,917 | $34,200 (18 earlier) |
| Patrick Swift | GIRL WITH BLUE THISTLES Whyte's | $45,917 | $5,907 (5 earlier) |
| Pol Cassel | Villa im Winter Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden | $17,083 | $13,860 (13 earlier) |
| Richard Killeen | Fishdog Art+Object | $16,966 | $6,190 (8 earlier) |
| Erskine Nicol | THE SHEEBEEN Whyte's | $12,914 | $10,112 (10 earlier) |
| Martin Finnin | MIRACLE OUTSIDE THE WINDOW Whyte's | $11,049 | $10,068 (8 earlier) |
| Gavin Hurley | Captain Tench Art+Object | $8,483 | $6,741 (3 earlier) |
| Ronald Ossory Dunlop | AUTUMN GLOW IN ARUNDEL WOODS Whyte's | $7,175 | $6,478 (29 earlier) |
| John Luke | PARTHENON HORSE Whyte's | $6,601 | $6,249 (8 earlier) |
| Comhghall Casey | TEAPOT Whyte's | $5,166 | $3,826 (5 earlier) |
| Patrick Graham | TE DEUM II Whyte's | $4,592 | $2,790 (3 earlier) |
| Nancy Wynne-Jones | SHAPE AND FORMS Whyte's | $3,300 | $1,814 (4 earlier) |
| Hans Unger | Capri Grotte Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden | $2,847 | $1,607 (16 earlier) |
| Georg Richter-Lößnitz | Meyhausen Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden | $783 | $191 (6 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (350)Sloans & Kenyon (249)Whyte's (199)Art+Object (80)Agra-Art (36)Levis Fine Art Auctions (5)Bolsa de Arte (1)