Art auction market report: November 2009
In November 2009, ArtSell recorded 2,453 auction lots from 11 auction houses, of which 1,907 sold (78% sell-through). The 1,907 sales with a published price total $38,058,993, with a median of $4,103 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Max Beckmann, “Blick auf Vorstädte am Meer bei Marseille”, at $3,905,532 (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 | Alex Katz American | $479,315 | 2 | Yvonne smiling — $408,306 |
| 2 | Granville Redmond American | $357,350 | 3 | Southern California Hills — $275,000 |
| 3 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $282,840 | 7 | Waves on the California Coast — $134,000 |
| 4 | E. Charlton Fortune American | $278,000 | 1 | Summer Landscape — $278,000 |
| 5 | Josef Albers German | $234,665 | 2 | Homage to the Square (with variation) — $234,332 |
| 6 | Jessie Arms Botke American | $183,000 | 3 | A Pair of Cockatoos — $85,400 |
| 7 | Cy Twombly American | $133,143 | 1 | Roman Notes — $133,143 |
| 8 | Hanson Puthuff American | $109,800 | 2 | 'Quiet Hills' — $73,200 |
| 9 | William Wendt American | $109,800 | 2 | The Hilltop — $79,300 |
| 10 | Armin Carl Hansen American | $103,700 | 3 | Bucking bronco — $48,800 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Beckmann German | $3,948,138 | 4 | Blick auf Vorstädte am Meer bei Marseille — $3,905,532 |
| 2 | Edvard Munch Norwegian | $1,413,749 | 30 | Hode ved hode — $229,424 |
| 3 | Emil Filla Czech | $1,331,110 | 4 | Glass and newspapers — $765,677 |
| 4 | Günther Uecker German | $1,118,402 | 3 | Diagonale Teilung — $408,306 |
| 5 | Karl Hofer Swiss | $857,442 | 9 | Kartenspieler — $497,068 |
| 6 | Emil Nolde German | $796,729 | 8 | Rote, gelbe und violette Blüten — $213,029 |
| 7 | Max Liebermann German | $779,686 | 4 | Schafherde — $585,830 |
| 8 | Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Italian | $675,564 | 1 | INSTITUTION OF THE ROSARY — $675,564 |
| 9 | Emil Schumacher German | $610,683 | 6 | Taras Bulba — $301,791 |
| 10 | Gabriele Münter German | $585,830 | 3 | Blumenstrauß in hoher Vase vor blauem Grund — $372,801 |
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 | Blick auf Vorstädte am Meer bei Marseille Grisebach | $3,905,532 | $1,889,511 (158 earlier) |
| Emil Filla | Glass and newspapers Galerie Kodl | $765,677 | $142,364 (10 earlier) |
| Karl Hofer | Kartenspieler Grisebach | $497,068 | $337,413 (94 earlier) |
| Günther Uecker | Diagonale Teilung Grisebach | $408,306 | $351,367 (67 earlier) |
| Alex Katz | Yvonne smiling Grisebach | $408,306 | $20,301 (16 earlier) |
| Emil Schumacher | Taras Bulba Grisebach | $301,791 | $235,502 (127 earlier) |
| Max Slevogt | Landhaus in Godramstein mit Kindern Grisebach | $186,400 | $136,306 (41 earlier) |
| Wilhelm Lehmbruck | Kleine Sinnende Grisebach | $142,019 | $106,016 (21 earlier) |
| Renée Sintenis | Der Esel von Seelow Grisebach | $142,019 | $83,045 (91 earlier) |
| Imi Knoebel | Grace Kelly IV-6 Grisebach | $136,694 | $131,591 (72 earlier) |
| Thomas Fearnley | Fra Fredrikshald Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner | $132,360 | $71,898 (12 earlier) |
| Neo Rauch | Sogno Grisebach | $131,368 | $105,495 (25 earlier) |
| Pat Hanly | Yellow Jogger Art+Object | $131,055 | $80,742 (29 earlier) |
| Alphonse Mucha | View into the Future Galerie Kodl | $129,892 | $54,529 (12 earlier) |
| Otto Modersohn | Abend am Moorkanal Grisebach | $127,817 | $84,588 (44 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Bonhams (472)Levis Fine Art Auctions (377)Grisebach (322)James D. Julia (300)Whyte's (240)Sloans & Kenyon (240)Lempertz (138)Art+Object (138)Agra-Art (129)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (79)Galerie Kodl (18)