Art auction market report: December 2008
In December 2008, ArtSell recorded 2,827 auction lots from 13 auction houses, of which 2,235 sold (79% sell-through). The 2,235 sales with a published price total $36,996,179, with a median of $2,700 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Yue Minjun, “Enchanted Spring”, at $1,483,500 (Ravenel). 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 | Niki de Saint Phalle French | $1,139,850 | 3 | Untitled (Nana, Fountain Figure) — $379,950 |
| 2 | Richard Edward Miller American | $567,300 | 5 | Breezy Day — $288,000 |
| 3 | Max Ernst German | $220,067 | 3 | Nocturne I (Lueurs dans la nuit) — $197,574 |
| 4 | Edward Cucuel American | $172,481 | 2 | Herbstzauber — $95,480 |
| 5 | Eastman Johnson American | $132,000 | 1 | Reading Boy — $132,000 |
| 6 | Abbott Fuller Graves American | $108,000 | 1 | Backyard with a Cat — $108,000 |
| 7 | Arman American | $79,149 | 2 | Dream All Shot — $69,911 |
| 8 | Tom Wesselmann American | $68,281 | 9 | Nude with bouquet and stockings — $15,198 |
| 9 | Lyonel Feininger American | $67,143 | 4 | Ohne Titel (Ship at the Sea, Ships and Iceberg) — $55,440 |
| 10 | Charles M. Schulz American | $52,800 | 2 | Peanuts Sunday comic strip — $30,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Nolde German | $2,059,844 | 11 | Landschaft — $1,136,070 |
| 2 | Max Liebermann German | $1,252,702 | 4 | Der Nutzgarten in Wannsee nach Westen — $492,802 |
| 3 | August Macke German | $1,054,354 | 2 | Frauen am See (Die Landung) — $1,030,037 |
| 4 | Zao Wou-ki French | $1,050,060 | 1 | 22.3.1979 — $1,050,060 |
| 5 | Emil Schumacher German | $651,363 | 9 | Mabudan — $207,851 |
| 6 | Alfons Walde Austrian | $541,809 | 4 | Büchlach und Wilder Kaiser bei Kitzbühel — $288,762 |
| 7 | Diego Giacometti Swiss | $376,800 | 4 | Grande Torsade (Twisted Cable) coffee table — $216,000 |
| 8 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $356,118 | 13 | Zwei Tänzerinnen — $93,940 |
| 9 | Gabriele Münter German | $255,075 | 3 | Gefleckte Vase — $184,801 |
| 10 | Per Kirkeby Danish | $212,772 | 2 | Untitled — $151,980 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanyu | Chrysanthemums on the Red Table with Yellow Background Ravenel | $1,050,060 | $914,216 (18 earlier) |
| Wu Guanzhong | The Blooming Mountain Ravenel | $833,340 | $539,226 (10 earlier) |
| Niki de Saint Phalle | Untitled (Nana, Fountain Figure) Lempertz | $379,950 | $23,522 (32 earlier) |
| Alfons Walde | Büchlach und Wilder Kaiser bei Kitzbühel Lempertz | $288,762 | $69,041 (6 earlier) |
| Eduardo Chillida | Gravitación Lempertz | $182,376 | $68,815 (72 earlier) |
| Per Kirkeby | Untitled Lempertz | $151,980 | $75,512 (20 earlier) |
| Alexander Kanoldt | Das rote Haus Ketterer Kunst | $98,560 | $74,645 (29 earlier) |
| Ewald Mataré | Kleine liegende Kuh Ketterer Kunst | $95,480 | $88,631 (78 earlier) |
| Norbert Kricke | Raumplastik Ketterer Kunst | $73,903 | $36,402 (3 earlier) |
| Shiy De-jinn | Portrait of the Painter Tian Man-shi Ravenel | $73,844 | $58,215 (23 earlier) |
| Bernard Schultze | Tag der Ziegen und anderer Tiere Ketterer Kunst | $70,823 | $42,733 (77 earlier) |
| SEO | Grüner Fluss mit Boot / Green River with Boat Lempertz | $68,391 | $54,911 (4 earlier) |
| Fritz Klimsch | Summer Day Lempertz | $63,832 | $59,768 (40 earlier) |
| Lynn Chadwick | Conjunction XIV Ketterer Kunst | $63,125 | $22,271 (6 earlier) |
| Otto Piene | Kleine Sonne Ketterer Kunst | $61,586 | $53,140 (71 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Lempertz (543)Whyte's (363)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (348)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (285)Ketterer Kunst (249)Agra-Art (208)Ravenel (189)SOGA (162)Art+Object (158)Bonhams (140)Sloans & Kenyon (124)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (52)Levis Fine Art Auctions (6)