Art auction market report: July 2009
In July 2009, ArtSell recorded 581 auction lots from 5 auction houses, of which 470 sold (81% sell-through). The 470 sales with a published price total $10,076,017, with a median of $5,750 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Ernest Martin Hennings, “Taos Indians Homeward Bound”, at $659,000 (Coeur d'Alene Art Auction). 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 | Charles Marion Russell American | $928,275 | 6 | Dakota Chief — $631,000 |
| 2 | Ernest Martin Hennings American | $682,000 | 2 | Taos Indians Homeward Bound — $659,000 |
| 3 | Frank Tenney Johnson American | $648,025 | 3 | Old Indian Trading Post — $575,000 |
| 4 | E. Irving Couse American | $554,875 | 2 | Contentment — $506,000 |
| 5 | Joseph Henry Sharp American | $497,375 | 8 | Lure of the West — $195,500 |
| 6 | Bob Kuhn American | $365,700 | 6 | El Jefe — $138,000 |
| 7 | Carl Rungius American | $338,100 | 8 | Bull Elk in the High Country — $230,000 |
| 8 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $180,550 | 4 | Canyon de Chelly — $109,250 |
| 9 | William Robinson Leigh American | $175,375 | 3 | A Boy on His Pony — $92,000 |
| 10 | Leon Gaspard American | $149,500 | 1 | Girl with Floral Scarf, Russia — $149,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montague Dawson British | $310,500 | 3 | The U.S. Clipper Ship "Flying Fish" — $276,000 |
| 2 | W. Hart British | $4,715 | 1 | W. HART / OGDENSBURGH Stoneware Six-Gallon Churn with Folk Art Fish Decoration — $4,715 |
| 3 | H. C. Smith British | $4,025 | 1 | H.C. SMITH / ALEXA / D.C. Half-Gallon Stoneware Pitcher — $4,025 |
| 4 | Wilhelm Kuhnert German | $2,600 | 1 | Elk — $2,600 |
| 5 | George Armfield British | $1,600 | 1 | The Mischievous Terriers — $1,600 |
| 6 | Franciszek Starowieyski Polish | $1,551 | 1 | Autoportret — $1,551 |
| 7 | Jerzy Nowosielski Polish | $1,441 | 1 | Akt klęczącej — $1,441 |
| 8 | Jacek Yerka Polish | $1,219 | 3 | Sonet — $554 |
| 9 | Zbigniew Łagocki Polish | $997 | 2 | Na podwórku — $628 |
| 10 | Clarence Roe British | $950 | 1 | The Roadside Crucifix — $950 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| E. Irving Couse | Contentment Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $506,000 | $316,250 (22 earlier) |
| Mian Situ | Journey of Hope and Prosperity P.M.S.S. Great Republic 1880 Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $431,250 | $258,750 (7 earlier) |
| Montague Dawson | The U.S. Clipper Ship "Flying Fish" Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $276,000 | $89,600 (7 earlier) |
| Leon Gaspard | Girl with Floral Scarf, Russia Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $149,500 | $56,000 (15 earlier) |
| Shane Cotton | Wake Art+Object | $133,856 | $27,697 (18 earlier) |
| R. Brownell McGrew | Summertime: Evening Meal Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $48,875 | $16,800 (5 earlier) |
| Theodore Roosevelt Lambert | Sled Team Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $34,500 | $13,800 (4 earlier) |
| John Pule | Nofotatu Moru Tukulagi Art+Object | $33,464 | $27,915 (15 earlier) |
| Richard Killeen | Know this Place Art+Object | $27,515 | $25,468 (17 earlier) |
| Marjorie Reed | Los Angeles Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $26,450 | $13,200 (13 earlier) |
| Jude Rae | Nexus II Art+Object | $23,053 | $11,971 (4 earlier) |
| Robert M. Scriver | Pay Window #8 Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $18,400 | $16,800 (5 earlier) |
| Terry Stringer | The Source Art+Object | $15,616 | $12,576 (14 earlier) |
| Leo Vernon Bensemann | Sydney Lough-Thompson Art+Object | $12,642 | $431 (4 earlier) |
| Louise Henderson | The Merry-go-round Art+Object | $5,577 | $1,294 (5 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Coeur d'Alene Art Auction (251)Sloans & Kenyon (159)Crocker Farm (69)Art+Object (62)Agra-Art (40)