Art auction market report: September 2009
In September 2009, ArtSell recorded 1,388 auction lots from 10 auction houses, of which 892 sold (64% sell-through). The 892 sales with a published price total $9,401,470, with a median of $1,800 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Brett Whiteley, “The Sunrise, Japanese: Good Morning! 1988”, at $1,154,234 (Menzies). 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 | Deborah Butterfield American | $25,000 | 1 | Horse — $25,000 |
| 2 | Futura 2000 American | $21,875 | 1 | Elsie — $21,875 |
| 3 | Andy Warhol American | $20,378 | 6 | Self-Portrait — $8,750 |
| 4 | Kenny Scharf American | $18,125 | 2 | untitled — $14,375 |
| 5 | Jesús Moroles American | $11,875 | 1 | untitled — $11,875 |
| 6 | Jean-Michel Basquiat American | $9,375 | 1 | untitled (head) — $9,375 |
| 7 | Robert Mapplethorpe American | $8,125 | 1 | untitled (chest) — $8,125 |
| 8 | James Fairman American | $6,000 | 1 | Beach at Jaffa — $6,000 |
| 9 | Ansel Adams American | $5,971 | 1 | San Francisco from San Bruno Mountain, California, 1953 — $5,971 |
| 10 | Sean Scully American | $5,128 | 1 | BLUE FOLD — $5,128 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Boyd British | $106,399 | 3 | Nebuchadnezzar Sitting on Gold — $99,684 |
| 2 | Adolph Jentsch German | $61,681 | 1 | A Southern Namibian Landscape — $61,681 |
| 3 | Frans Oerder Dutch | $52,135 | 3 | Hydrangeas in a Bowl — $29,372 |
| 4 | Edward Seago British | $41,120 | 1 | The Wells at Marrakech — $41,120 |
| 5 | Frans Claerhout Belgian | $38,183 | 1 | Bridal Couple in a Donkey Cart — $38,183 |
| 6 | Cecil Maguire British | $32,230 | 1 | LATE LIGHT OVER ROUNDSTONE, CONNEMARA — $32,230 |
| 7 | Norah McGuinness Irish | $30,179 | 3 | DEIRDRE MC CLENAGHAN (THE ARTIST'S NIECE) — $23,440 |
| 8 | William Russell Flint British | $27,903 | 1 | Teresita and Louise — $27,903 |
| 9 | Pranas Domšaitis German | $26,435 | 2 | A Still Life of Flowers in a Jug — $14,686 |
| 10 | Maurice van Essche Belgian | $24,232 | 2 | Congolese Figures — $12,483 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Whiteley | The Sunrise, Japanese: Good Morning! 1988 Menzies | $1,154,234 | $13,897 (4 earlier) |
| Charles Blackman | Shrinking Alice 1956 Menzies | $356,763 | $36,897 (7 earlier) |
| Jeffrey Smart | Near Pisa 1995 Menzies | $346,270 | $220,427 (8 earlier) |
| John Perceval | Old Man and the Sea 1967 Menzies | $68,205 | $58,700 (12 earlier) |
| John Coburn | Argyle Landscape 1997 Menzies | $52,465 | $30,668 (9 earlier) |
| Gregoire Boonzaier | Cape Town Harbour Strauss & Co | $36,715 | $31,398 (7 earlier) |
| William Russell Flint | Teresita and Louise Strauss & Co | $27,903 | $6,301 (6 earlier) |
| Mark Hanham | Misty Thames Menzies | $12,592 | $10,901 (5 earlier) |
| Michelangelo Pistoletto | La Rosa Wright | $11,250 | $6,799 (4 earlier) |
| Deborah Bell | An African Vessel Strauss & Co | $11,014 | $8,896 (3 earlier) |
| Kpm | Fine Painting on Porcelain Cottone Auctions | $8,500 | $5,175 (11 earlier) |
| Max Dupain | Meat Queue 1946 Menzies | $5,037 | $3,642 (8 earlier) |
| Gustav Stickley | 5 Leg Dining Table Cottone Auctions | $4,900 | $4,312 (5 earlier) |
| Wilhelm Alexander Meyerheim | Preußische Kürasserie. Um 1870/ 1871 Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden | $4,412 | $4,102 (3 earlier) |
| Bill Coleman | Reclining Nude Menzies | $1,889 | $960 (3 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Strauss & Co (337)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (278)Sloans & Kenyon (247)Whyte's (217)Menzies (151)Wright (64)Agra-Art (39)Levis Fine Art Auctions (32)Cottone Auctions (16)Twents Veilinghuis (7)