Art auction market report: June 2009
In June 2009, ArtSell recorded 2,979 auction lots from 14 auction houses, of which 2,352 sold (79% sell-through). The 2,352 sales with a published price total $37,214,376, with a median of $2,238 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Max Beckmann, “Nachtgarten bei Cap Martin”, at $1,889,511 (Grisebach). 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 | Lyonel Feininger American | $847,302 | 9 | Badende“ („Bathers“) — $472,378 |
| 2 | Josef Albers German | $343,028 | 4 | Study for Homage to the Square: High Pasture — $305,947 |
| 3 | George Rickey American | $163,899 | 3 | One Up One Down Excentric Var. III — $84,353 |
| 4 | George Grosz German | $160,713 | 3 | Inflation — $87,727 |
| 5 | Max Ernst German | $145,087 | 1 | Je vous parle en père de famille — $145,087 |
| 6 | Andy Warhol American | $133,425 | 10 | Studio 54 Complimentary Drink Invitation (FS IIIA.16) — $30,000 |
| 7 | Otto Dix American | $81,295 | 3 | Zigeunerin — $42,493 |
| 8 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $80,538 | 7 | Composition I — $39,600 |
| 9 | Yun Gee American | $76,025 | 1 | California Landscape — $76,025 |
| 10 | Alexander Calder American | $61,000 | 2 | Hand Painted Plane — $36,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Beckmann German | $2,057,704 | 7 | Nachtgarten bei Cap Martin — $1,889,511 |
| 2 | Karl Hofer Swiss | $1,249,270 | 9 | Kartenspielende Mädchen — $337,413 |
| 3 | Oskar Schlemmer German | $1,180,944 | 2 | Sitzende auf geschwungenem Stuhl — $843,532 |
| 4 | Lovis Corinth German | $1,153,343 | 9 | Flieder im Kelchglas — $607,343 |
| 5 | Emil Nolde German | $885,538 | 7 | Pfingstrosen in blauer Vase — $203,964 |
| 6 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $649,738 | 16 | Staffelalp — $95,183 |
| 7 | Franz Radziwill German | $538,490 | 2 | Gespräch über einen Paragraphen — $496,314 |
| 8 | Arthur Boyd British | $538,418 | 5 | Bride and Bridegroom with Rainbow 1960 — $479,190 |
| 9 | Georg Baselitz German | $526,667 | 5 | de Chiricos Selbstbildnis — $303,671 |
| 10 | Max Pechstein German | $424,296 | 7 | Sitzende Frau — $286,801 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Beckmann | Nachtgarten bei Cap Martin Grisebach | $1,889,511 | $1,660,907 (149 earlier) |
| Wang Huaiqing | Flying Apsaras (triptych) Ravenel | $1,342,557 | $977,491 (9 earlier) |
| Oskar Schlemmer | Sitzende auf geschwungenem Stuhl Grisebach | $843,532 | $834,366 (19 earlier) |
| Franz Radziwill | Gespräch über einen Paragraphen Ketterer Kunst | $496,314 | $319,694 (24 earlier) |
| Arthur Boyd | Bride and Bridegroom with Rainbow 1960 Menzies | $479,190 | $50,314 (3 earlier) |
| Fred Williams | Australian Landscape I 1969 Menzies | $479,190 | $335,429 (5 earlier) |
| Georg Scholz | Exotische Prinzessin Grisebach | $421,766 | $10,010 (3 earlier) |
| Karl Hofer | Kartenspielende Mädchen Grisebach | $337,413 | $324,963 (80 earlier) |
| Serge Poliakoff | Composition Abstraite Grisebach | $312,107 | $262,223 (100 earlier) |
| Sidney Nolan | Burke and Wills 1964 Menzies | $306,682 | $88,050 (15 earlier) |
| Ernst Barlach | Der Geistkämpfer Ketterer Kunst | $254,956 | $219,929 (77 earlier) |
| Jeffrey Smart | Campbell Street 1963 Menzies | $220,427 | $4,612 (4 earlier) |
| Lesser Ury | Nachtbeleuchtung Grisebach | $212,570 | $158,090 (57 earlier) |
| Hanns Bolz | Dame mit Hut Ketterer Kunst | $181,868 | $97,020 (3 earlier) |
| John Olsen | Where the Wattle Stains the Doubting Heart c1979-80 Menzies | $167,717 | $16,771 (6 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
James D. Julia (488)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (328)Grisebach (325)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (321)Menzies (304)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (295)SOGA (171)Sloans & Kenyon (170)Ravenel (152)Ketterer Kunst (142)Art+Object (104)Wright (70)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (66)Agra-Art (43)