Art auction market report: February 2009
In February 2009, ArtSell recorded 393 auction lots from 4 auction houses, of which 290 sold (74% sell-through). The 290 sales with a published price total $782,232, with a median of $856 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Raymond Parker 1922-1990, “untitled”, at $36,250 (Wright). 5 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
393
4 houses
Sold
290
74% sell-through
Total
$782k
290 priced sales
Median
$856
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 | Andy Warhol American | $65,813 | 4 | Mao — $31,250 |
| 2 | Charles E. Burchfield American | $25,600 | 2 | Midmorning in June — $21,000 |
| 3 | Ed Paschke American | $22,500 | 1 | Starry Nite — $22,500 |
| 4 | Thomas Downing American | $21,563 | 2 | untitled — $12,188 |
| 5 | Ernest Trova American | $20,750 | 2 | Falling Man — $18,750 |
| 6 | Willem de Kooning American | $20,750 | 3 | untitled (from Quatre Lithographies) — $9,375 |
| 7 | Sam Francis American | $15,000 | 1 | Light in Itself — $15,000 |
| 8 | Ralph Albert Blakelock American | $12,075 | 1 | Indian Camp — $12,075 |
| 9 | Martha Walter American | $10,350 | 1 | The Museum Entrance — $10,350 |
| 10 | Nan Goldin American | $10,000 | 2 | Self-portrait in the mirror, Hotel Baur, Zürich, 1998 — $5,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Moore British | $22,500 | 1 | Mother and Child: Rock — $22,500 |
| 2 | Théodore Rousseau French | $10,000 | 1 | Pastoral Landscape with Cattle — $10,000 |
| 3 | Salvador Dalí Spanish | $7,250 | 2 | Untitled — $5,250 |
| 4 | Michele Cascella Italian | $7,000 | 1 | Piazza Dei Cavalieri Di Malta — $7,000 |
| 5 | Yannis Kounellis Greek | $6,250 | 1 | untitled — $6,250 |
| 6 | Jerzy Duda-Gracz Polish | $5,657 | 2 | Obraz 970 (holenderski) — $5,032 |
| 7 | Luc Tuymans Belgian | $3,625 | 2 | The Worshipper — $2,125 |
| 8 | Thomas Demand German | $2,750 | 1 | Bullion — $2,750 |
| 9 | Alexei Vasilievich Hanzen Russian | $2,200 | 1 | Rocky Coast with White Caps — $2,200 |
| 10 | Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer French | $2,000 | 1 | Tulips — $2,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Paschke | Starry Nite Wright | $22,500 | $4,130 (3 earlier) |
| Ernest Trova | Falling Man Wright | $18,750 | $7,560 (12 earlier) |
| Yaacov Agam | Vibralite Wright | $18,750 | $4,700 (9 earlier) |
| Grzegorz Lewacki | Pejzaż z błękitnymi kulami Agra-Art | $596 | $575 (4 earlier) |
| Kaiko Moti | Evening Passage Sloans & Kenyon | $450 | $358 (3 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Sloans & Kenyon (150)James D. Julia (101)Wright (96)Agra-Art (46)