Art auction market report: March 2009
In March 2009, ArtSell recorded 1,382 auction lots from 10 auction houses, of which 1,101 sold (80% sell-through). The 1,101 sales with a published price total $9,918,667, with a median of $1,845 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Irma Stern, “Magnolias in an Earthenware Pot”, at $680,292 (Strauss & Co). 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 | Patrick Scott American | $39,237 | 9 | GOLD PAINTING 6 — $11,336 |
| 2 | John Kingerlee American | $26,452 | 2 | PNEUMA-GRID WITH ISLANDS AND THE SEA — $18,894 |
| 3 | Sean Scully American | $3,653 | 2 | WATCHING THE NEEDLE BOATS AT SAN SABA — $2,141 |
| 4 | John Bell American | $3,220 | 3 | Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Jar, "JOHN BELL / WAYNESBORO." — $1,725 |
| 5 | Alexander Archipenko American | $3,196 | 2 | Žena II. — $1,662 |
| 6 | William Guy Wall American | $3,149 | 1 | SCENE IN THE GLEN OF THE DOWNS — $3,149 |
| 7 | Percy Leason American | $2,013 | 1 | Bush near Eltham, Victoria 1914 — $2,013 |
| 8 | František Reichentál American | $1,662 | 2 | Na móle — $831 |
| 9 | Pál Fried Hungarian | $1,214 | 1 | V budoári — $1,214 |
| 10 | John Singer Sargent American | $1,071 | 1 | W.B. YEATS — $1,071 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean Welz Austrian | $214,554 | 4 | Still Life with Three Vessels and Checked Tablecloth — $115,126 |
| 2 | Józef Chełmoński Polish | $204,737 | 1 | JARMARK NA KRESACH — $204,737 |
| 3 | Frans Oerder Dutch | $167,456 | 1 | Magnolias — $167,456 |
| 4 | Józef Brandt Polish | $156,965 | 2 | DOJEŻDŻACZ OCZEKUJĄCY PANÓW — $112,605 |
| 5 | Dorothy Kay Irish | $136,058 | 1 | Old Oyster Woman — $136,058 |
| 6 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $116,871 | 3 | ALEGORIA — $105,781 |
| 7 | Jack Butler Yeats Irish | $114,435 | 3 | SEEK NO FURTHER II — $110,845 |
| 8 | Arthur Boyd British | $93,920 | 3 | Shoalhaven with Shag — $50,314 |
| 9 | Markey Robinson British | $65,184 | 12 | THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT — $17,634 |
| 10 | Seán Keating Irish | $64,240 | 2 | AN ARAN MAN AND HIS WIFE — $60,461 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Józef Chełmoński | JARMARK NA KRESACH Agra-Art | $204,737 | $31,635 (8 earlier) |
| Ladislav Mednyánszky | Močaristá krajina SOGA | $44,996 | $42,118 (41 earlier) |
| Henri Epstein | KOBIETA W FUTRZE Agra-Art | $32,417 | $25,648 (4 earlier) |
| Vincent Hložník | Cirkus SOGA | $22,754 | $12,883 (37 earlier) |
| Vladimír Kompánek | Červený koník (Zima) SOGA | $20,325 | $7,466 (42 earlier) |
| Harry Clarke | THE COLLOQUY OF MONOS AND UNA Whyte's | $20,154 | $7,771 (3 earlier) |
| Dominik Skutetzky | V hámri SOGA | $19,686 | $17,811 (6 earlier) |
| Andrej Barčík | Morena s ovečkou SOGA | $10,482 | $7,133 (8 earlier) |
| Jerzy Kossak | ODWRÓT WIELKIEJ ARMII SPOD MOSKWY Agra-Art | $10,237 | $9,160 (14 earlier) |
| Bernhard Fiedler | NORTH AFRICAN LANDSCAPE WITH A CARAVAN Lempertz | $4,390 | $228 (3 earlier) |
| Helmuth Andreas Volkwein | RÓŻNOBARWNE PIWONIE Agra-Art | $4,095 | $3,026 (4 earlier) |
| Jozef Šturdík | Kytica lúčnych kvetov SOGA | $3,324 | $1,598 (6 earlier) |
| Edita Spannerová | Blažena SOGA | $2,684 | $2,240 (12 earlier) |
| Rookwood Pottery | Covered Jar Cottone Auctions | $2,415 | $2,300 (45 earlier) |
| Johann-Christoffer Drathmann | CIETRZEWIE Agra-Art | $2,047 | $1,616 (3 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Whyte's (262)Menzies (237)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (210)SOGA (181)Agra-Art (143)Strauss & Co (130)Crocker Farm (93)Lempertz (70)Levis Fine Art Auctions (44)Cottone Auctions (12)