Art auction market report: April 2009
In April 2009, ArtSell recorded 1,467 auction lots from 8 auction houses, of which 1,165 sold (79% sell-through). The 1,165 sales with a published price total $9,398,643, with a median of $1,835 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Granville Redmond, “Poppies and lupine by a lake with mountains in the distance”, at $542,000 (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 | Guy Rose American | $634,000 | 2 | Carmel seascape (A blue sea, Carmel) — $512,000 |
| 2 | Granville Redmond American | $598,730 | 3 | Poppies and lupine by a lake with mountains in the distance — $542,000 |
| 3 | Ernest Martin Hennings American | $512,000 | 1 | Riders in the foothills — $512,000 |
| 4 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $300,015 | 6 | 'Blue Canyon' — $185,945 |
| 5 | Armin Carl Hansen American | $290,000 | 1 | Fishermen salvaging a wreck — $290,000 |
| 6 | Arthur Grover Rider American | $254,000 | 1 | Bringing in the boats, Valencia — $254,000 |
| 7 | Selden Connor Gile American | $240,950 | 3 | 'Monterey fishermen' — $122,000 |
| 8 | William Frederic Ritschel American | $96,380 | 2 | The inlet — $73,200 |
| 9 | Franz Bischoff Austrian | $93,330 | 2 | The Arroyo Seco, Pasadena — $85,400 |
| 10 | Bernard von Eichman American | $91,500 | 1 | 'China street scene' — $91,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Václav Špála Czech | $160,348 | 2 | Next to The Berounka river — $118,776 |
| 2 | Rudolf Kremlička Czech | $154,409 | 1 | The Ferry in Troja — $154,409 |
| 3 | Sebastiano Ricci Italian | $145,000 | 1 | Mary Magdalen Anointing the Feet of Christ — $145,000 |
| 4 | Zoran Mušič Slovene | $92,252 | 1 | Colline dalmate — $92,252 |
| 5 | Max Haushofer German | $89,082 | 1 | Return from falcon-hunting — $89,082 |
| 6 | Jüri Arrak Estonian | $88,708 | 3 | Puu päikeseloojangul — $87,046 |
| 7 | Enn Põldroos Estonian | $66,259 | 1 | Meie — $66,259 |
| 8 | Václav Brožík Czech | $65,327 | 1 | The Standard-bearer — $65,327 |
| 9 | Karl Hofer Swiss | $64,700 | 3 | Figur mit Rad — $26,504 |
| 10 | Malle Leis Estonian | $63,661 | 1 | Lapsepõlve aiad III — $63,661 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granville Redmond | Poppies and lupine by a lake with mountains in the distance Bonhams | $542,000 | $420,000 (34 earlier) |
| Arthur Grover Rider | Bringing in the boats, Valencia Bonhams | $254,000 | $127,250 (7 earlier) |
| Bill Hammond | Flag Art+Object | $147,117 | $68,409 (17 earlier) |
| Colin McCahon | Waterfall Art+Object | $137,922 | $47,162 (11 earlier) |
| Zoran Mušič | Colline dalmate Ketterer Kunst | $92,252 | $32,016 (37 earlier) |
| Jüri Arrak | Puu päikeseloojangul HAUS Galerii | $87,046 | $7,823 (11 earlier) |
| Tony Fomison | Detail for a Dancing Skeleton Art+Object | $76,842 | $51,584 (9 earlier) |
| Malle Leis | Lapsepõlve aiad III HAUS Galerii | $63,661 | $5,897 (4 earlier) |
| Millard Sheets | 'Girl with calabash of fruit' Bonhams | $51,850 | $33,000 (23 earlier) |
| Alfred R. Mitchell | Quiet sea (La Jolla cliffs) Bonhams | $48,800 | $26,400 (13 earlier) |
| Edward Theodore Compton | Piz Morteratsch Ketterer Kunst | $45,966 | $29,198 (8 earlier) |
| Richard Seewald | Südfranzösische Landschaft Ketterer Kunst | $35,858 | $19,322 (5 earlier) |
| Giorgio de Chirico | Il poeta solitario Ketterer Kunst | $34,299 | $18,777 (16 earlier) |
| Elvira Bach | Wenn es Nacht wird in Berlin (3-teilig) Ketterer Kunst | $27,514 | $14,244 (34 earlier) |
| Paul Dougherty | At sunset Bonhams | $27,450 | $17,625 (10 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Ketterer Kunst (390)Art+Object (247)Levis Fine Art Auctions (222)Sloans & Kenyon (211)Bonhams (179)Agra-Art (156)HAUS Galerii (56)Galerie Kodl (6)